In the fall of 2014, the television audience Britain was shocked to behold a frustrated amateur baker throw a melted Baked Alaska into a garbage bin, and leave the show he was on in the wake of that incident.
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| "Raspberry cheesecake" — raspberry cake being an emblem of the Great British Bake Off Image by Arria Belli; May 27, 2008 Wikimedia Commons. Copyright License: (CC BY 2.0) |
But in the tranquil realm of The Great British Bake Off, the latest stir is that the show will be moved from BBC 1 to Channel Four in 2017.
Its new host channel, Channel Four, stated, "Channel 4 will become the new home of The Great British Bake Off after signing a new three-year agreement with the producers of the hit show, Love Productions."It also promised that the show would remain "free-to-air."
Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, the comediennes who have spoken the prefaces to each episode and accompanied the bakers, have stated that they are leaving the Great British Bake Off when it is no longer with the BBC. Someone else will have to commiserate with the unfortunate competitors over many an 'underbaked' dumpling and derelict gingerbread house, like Jennifer Saunders or Jo Brand. (The Guardian notes that bets are already being taken.)
Money was at the root of the trouble, since the production company wanted the BBC to quadruple its present payments to keep hosting the show. BBC News reported that Love Productions had asked for £25m per year, whereas the BBC only agreed to £15m per year.
It is an exorbitantly well-enjoyed weekly event. On the first Wednesday of its 7th season — it has run each summer since mid-August 2010 — 10.4 million Britons, between a seventh and a sixth of the population of the United Kingdom, are estimated to have watched it.
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"Channel 4 to become home of The Great British Bake Off" [Channel Four], September 12, 2016 (Retrieved September 13, 2016)
"Great British Bake Off: BBC loses rights to Channel 4" [BBC News], September 13, 2016 (Retrieved September 13, 2016)
"Great British Bake Off: 10.4 million people tune into most-watched launch episode in show's history," by Patrick Foster [Daily Telegraph] August 25, 2016 (Retrieved September 13, 2016)
"Mel and Sue leaving Bake Off: how social media reacted," by Guardian staff [Guardian] (Retrieved September 14, 2016) (c) Guardian News & Media Ltd
"Great British Bake Off moves to Channel 4 as BBC negotiations collapse over fee," by Hannah Ellis-Petersen, Tara Conlan and Jane Martinson [Guardian] September 13, 2016 (Retrieved September 14, 2016) (c) Guardian News & Media Ltd
"United Kingdom" [Wikipedia] (Retrieved September 13, 2016)
"The Great British Bake Off" [Wikipedia] (Retrieved September 13, 2016)
