Bake Off shock as winner is leaked
DON’T WORRY WE’RE NOT GIVING SECRET AWAY
MAKING some quick cash on the result of TV’s Great British Bake Off seemed a piece of cake for those in the know.
But last night all bets were off after punters were suspected of having inside information.
Bookmakers acted after a flurry of unusual activity raised fears that the name of the winner of the BBC One series had been leaked.
The plug was pulled after a mountain of cash went on just one of the 12 contestants, whose odds were steadily cut from 12/ 1 to 6/1, 3/ 1 and then evens.
Several of the bets were the maximum the bookies would accept and 90 per cent of them were on the same person.
Ladbrokes spokesman Jessica Bridge said: “We offered prices on Monday and, almost before the ink was dry, an unusual number of punters were in a rush to back only one contestant.
“On Tuesday and Wednesday it was more of the same one- way traffic. That was enough to smell a rat in the kitchen and, as a precaution, we suspended betting.”
Suspicious
Many of the suspicious bets were placed around Ipswich although the contestant is not known to have links to the town. The suspension will not affect bets already placed.
Coral also confirmed it would not be taking any further bets on the series. Spokesman David Stevens said: “Great British Bake Off is such a popular show we would love to offer our customers the chance to have a flutter on the outcome.
“But, like a clumsy contestant, we got our fingers burnt two years ago when punters in the know backed Frances Quinn before she triumphed.
“Unfortunately, too many people know the result before it’s broadcast and it’s just too risky for us to take bets. But at least this time the result won’t be
spoiled for us.” The first episode of the new series, which is pre- recorded, was the most watched opening in Bake Off’s history.
A record 9.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the sixth series curtain raiser on Wednesday night and the audience reached a peak of 10 million.
It means the perennially popular show, in which judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood cast a critical eye over amateur bakers’ creations, is on course to surpass the record 12.3 million who watched last year’s final when Nancy Birtwhistle won.
In the first episode of the new series, contestant Dorret Conway had a disastrous round when her Black Forest Gateau failed to set and collapsed.
But musician Stuart Henshall was eliminated after he made the same classic cake with an unusual ingredient – beetroot.
Earlier he fared little better when he put a thick caramel glaze on a Madeira cake which stuck Paul’s teeth together.
Stuart, 35, said of his Black Forest Gateau: “I covered it in Italian meringue and put beetroot in it.
“Maybe I should have made it in a more traditional way for Mary. I have followed her recipes for years but I’m not that traditional myself.”