The Great Bake Off Being Adapted in Japan

BBC Studios Distribution has licensed the Love Productions format The Great Bake Off to the Amazon Prime Video streaming service in Japan.

The Japanese adaptation of The Great Bake Off is presented by local actors Maki Sakai and Asuka Kudo. The competitors will be judged on how well they execute their bakes by Toshihiko Yoroizuka, one of Japan’s top pastry chefs and owner of Toshi Yoroizuka patisserie, and Yoshimi Ishikawa, an entrepreneur who trained in baking in France and runs several bakeries.

The eight-part Japanese adaptation will stream on Amazon Prime Video from April 22 (four episodes) and April 29 (four episodes).

The Great Bake Off has been licensed to over 35 countries, including Australia, where it premiered last month as the number one non-sports show on Foxtel (excluding news) in the overnight ratings. Beach House Pictures and Vesuvius Pictures are producing.

André Renaud, senior VP of global format sales at BBC Studios, said, “The Great Bake Off’s magic ingredients of feel-good entertainment, warmth and accomplishment is what has made it an enduring success across the world. I’m delighted that Amazon Prime Video is now taking a slice of this to share with Japanese audiences.”

“We are thrilled to present our latest Amazon Original series Bake Off Japan, a joyful and warmhearted reality cooking show based on the U.K. format The Great British Bake Off, that has delighted audiences in 35 countries worldwide,” said Erika North, head of originals for the Asia Pacific at Amazon Studios. “A show to be enjoyed by the whole family, with Bake Off Japan, we are proud to have assembled a team of wonderful amateur bakers from all over the country with warm hosts and professional judges who have dedicated their lives to the art of baking. Filled with friendship and laughter, this is a unique competition series sure to delight and inspire our customers in Japan.”