Things are heating up...
We were already feeling a little fragile after the BBC dropped the bombshell that The Great British Bake Off is moving to Channel 4 and hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc confirmed that they wouldn’t be following the show, leaving us with a desperate need for someone to A) hold our hand, and B) stroke our hair and tell us everything will be OK.
Then, the news that we feared, but never wanted confirmed, arrived. Mary Berry is also leaving the GBBO tent. Mary Berry, who has been a judge since the show started in 2010, announced she was leaving the show ahead of the Channel 4 move out of ‘loyalty’ to BBC One. You can read her full statement below.
In a move that then made us feel as though our parents were breaking up, Paul Hollywood announced that he would actually be following the dough over to Channel 4 after signing a three year contract with them.
Latest reports suggest this might not be the amicable split we would hope for, as rumour has it the BBC are now planning on launching their own rival baking show. And Mary Berry, Sue and Mel are set to star in it, of course.
According the The Mirror, sources at the BBC have revealed that a new format is being worked on over the coming months to give the Great British public what they want. A BBC baking show with Mary, Sue and Mel.
'We've got three of the fab four staying with us. We're thrilled,' an inside for the BBC is reported to have said. They also added: 'The chances of us reuniting Mary, Mel and Sue are very high.'
The news will undoubtedly please fans of Mary Berry, who were left infuriated after Channel 4 chief Jay Hunt played down the judge's importance to the show.
'Paul really is the star baker, an exceptional talent with a twinkle in his eye,' she said. 'His wit, warmth and wisdom are vital ingredients in Bake Off's success. I'm so delighted he's coming to Channel 4.'
Paul has also tweeted about his move to Channel 4 without Mary.
Here's what Mary had to say about leaving the GBBO, try not weep whilst reading. '‘Farewell to soggy bottoms.’
‘What a privilege and honour it has been to be part of seven years of magic in a tent - The Great British Bake Off. The Bake Off family - Paul, Mel and Sue have given me so much joy and laughter.‘My decision to stay with the BBC is out of loyalty to them, as they have nurtured me, and the show, that was a unique and brilliant format from day one. I am just sad for the audience who may not be ready for change, I hope they understand my decision.‘I wish the programme, crew and future bakers every possible success and I am so very sad not to be a part of it.‘Farewell to soggy bottoms.’
Speaking about Mary's decision, Charlotte Moore, controller of BBC One, said: ‘Mary is an extraordinary woman, loved and adored by the British public, and the BBC is her natural home.
‘I've been very lucky to have had the pleasure of working with Mary over the last seven years and I'm so pleased that relationship will continue.
‘She is an inspiration to generations, a real icon and I can't wait to cook up more unmissable shows with her in the future.’
Will GBBO ever be the same? No. No, it won't.
If you can the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about the potential contenders to host next series...
Scarlett Moffatt
Fresh out of the jungle as the winner of this year's I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here crown, Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt is the most recent celebrity to be tipped as a potential host. A source told The Mirror: 'Scarlett is now a serious contender – She opened a lot of eyes to her potential on I'm a Celebrity. She is young, very funny and just the type of presenter Channel 4 are looking for to front their version of the show. Scarlett may be inexperienced but the thinking is she could be paired with a more senior co-host.'
Jamie Oliver
Ok, so he’s more eyeing Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood’s roles as judges rather than Mel and Sue’s as hosts, but Jamie Oliver has been pretty clear about the fact that one way or another he’d like to be involved.
‘We watch Bake Off – the whole family loves it,’ he said in an interview with Now magazine. ‘Secretly, there’s always a part of me in mourning because I’d love to be one of the judges. I love Mary Berry and it’s really great watching.’
Jimmy Carr
Alongside Anna Richardson, comedian Jimmy Carr is also tipped as favourite to replace Mel and Sue on the new look C4 GBBO.
Jimmy has already hosted 8 out of 10 cats for Channel 4, so he’s a strong contender to take the reins on their new show and continue the comedy LOLs within the Bake Off tent.
Nadiya Hussain
We reckon last year’s winner and now national treasure Nadiya would be a great choice for host as she’d totally understand what all the contestants would be feeling.
Plus she’s now got some serious baking credentials now including baking a cake for the Queen, becoming a judge on Junior Bake Off and landing her own BBC food show, The Chronicles of Nadiya. Pretty impressive stuff.
Jo Brand
Maybe the most obvious choice to replace Mel and Sue, Jo already hosts An Extra Slice, the BBC Two spin off programme. Plus of course she’s absolutely hilarious, which will help smooth over any awkwardness that may arise from the transition between channels.
Jennifer Saunders
A favourite with the bookies, Jennifer won The Great Comic Relief Bake Off in 2015 and also hosted The Great Sport Relief Bake Off earlier this year, making her a very strong (and experienced) contender.
Maybe she’ll take on the role with Joanna Lumley (who’s also been tipped to host) and bring a little Ab Fab into the Bake Off tent? Either way, we kind of love the idea of Jennifer at the helm.
Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer
Looking at the list so far, it’s pretty obvious that C4 want to try and transfer some of their existing hosts over to take over the Bake Off baton. So it’s no surprise that the Location, Location, Location hosts are in the mix – Kirstie already has her own cute, homemade show going on and her and Phil have bags of chemistry. No wonder they are 6/1.
One thing we do know though is that it’s definitely not Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield…
For a moment, we did think that the position might be filled by another popular duo after This Morning said to expect an ‘official announcement’ on Twitter.
When we did tune in to the show though, we were told by Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield that they were…not the new hosts.
Discussing the twitter reaction to the GBBO news, Holly and Phil confirmed that despite bookies offering 100/1 odds of them being picked as hosts they wouldn’t be leaving ITV and it was all just a big prank.
Too soon, This Morning, too soon.