This year's Great British Bake Off has been postponed due to coronavirus

great british bake off

Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer has seen a number of stars attempting to whip up a storm in the kitchen this year, from the iconic Louis Theroux to the impeccably styled Tan France.

But the legendary show announced earlier this year that presenter Sandi Toksvig would not be joining co-host Noel Fielding and bakers Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith for the Great British Bake Off 2020. In January, Toksvig said working on GBBO was 'one of the great pleasures of my life … these are friendships which I know will continue beyond the confines of television.'

The comedian will be replaced by Matt Lucas when it returns to our screens, but the iconic baking show has now confirmed that filming will be postponed as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Filming for the show usually takes place between April and July, and is then broadcast in the early autumn. However, a representative has revealed that they are delaying production to ensure the safety of the bakers, presenters and crew.

A Love Productions spokesperson told Deadline: 'We continue to monitor the situation and follow the advice of Public Health England and we will delay filming on Bake Off until it is safe to proceed.'

It is unclear when the show will air, but during an interview on BBC Radio 2 on Friday, Matt Lucas admitted he thought that it would be 'a bit delayed'.

Several other shows have announced that they have been affected by the outbreak. Soaps have stopped filming until further notice, Saturday Night Takeaway aired without an audience for the first time in its history and Loose Women has also been taken off air with ITV choosing to air repeat episodes instead.

Jadie Troy-Pryde
News Editor

Jadie Troy-Pryde is News Editor, covering celebrity and entertainment, royal, lifestyle and viral news. Before joining the team in 2018 as the Lifestyle and Social Media Editor, she worked at a number of women’s fashion and lifestyle titles including Grazia, Women’s Health and Stylist, and now heads the Marie Claire UK news desk.