BBC Loses Great British Bake Off to Channel 4

LONDON: Channel 4 will become the new home of The Great British Bake Off, signing a three-year agreement with series producers Love Productions.

The first Bake Off programming set to broadcast on Channel 4 will be a celebrity version of the show in 2017, in aid of Stand Up to Cancer. Bake Off had long been a BBC series; with its move to Channel 4, it remains on free-to-air in the U.K.

Jay Hunt, Channel 4’s chief creative officer, said: “Channel 4 is very proud to be the new home for The Great British Bake Off. I’m delighted we have been able to partner with the hugely talented team at Love Productions to keep this much-loved show on free-to-air television.”

Richard McKerrow, Love Productions’ creative director, said: “We believe we’ve found the perfect new home for Bake Off. It’s a public service, free-to-air broadcaster for whom Love Productions have produced high-quality and highly successful programs for more than a decade.

“It’s tremendously exciting to have found a broadcaster who we know will protect and nurture The Great British Bake Off for many years to come.”

The BBC also made a statement regarding The Great British Bake Off: “Working with Love Productions, we have grown and nurtured the program over seven series and created the huge hit it is today.

“We made a very strong offer to keep the show but we are a considerable distance apart on the money. The BBC’s resources are not infinite.

“GBBO is a quintessentially BBC program. We hope Love Productions change their mind so that Bake Off can stay ad free on BBC One.”