Great British Bake Off delivers ratings rise

THE CAKES may have fallen – but The Great British Bake Off’s return delivered a ratings high for Channel 4.

The opener notched up Bake Off’s biggest overnight launch audience since its move to Channel 4, the broadcaster said.

Fans saw Sura, 31, a pharmacy dispenser, accidentally cause a rival contestant to lose four of his six miniature upside- down pineapple cakes when she swung her arm to hit a fly.

The show, which was pushed back for Boris Johnson’s televised address to the nation and aired straight after, averaged 6.9m viewers and peaked at 7.9m. It was up more than a million on last year.

The 2019 opener drew an average of 5.7m viewers, peaking at 6.6m.

The new series saw Little Britain star Matt Lucas replacing previous co- host Sandi Toksvig.

He made his debut in a skit mimicking the Prime Minister’s coronavirus briefings.

The 12 new amateur bakers and presenters formed a “bubble” in Down Hall Hotel, near Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, so that the show could be filmed amid social distancing measures.