Preparing for the new GBBO, and what’s next for Mary Berry

Channel 4 Productions has just released its first trailer for the upcoming season of The Great British Bake Off, the first season that the show is not airing on the BBC. The advertisement features a variety food items, whimsically animated and singing along to Paul McCartney’s song ‘We All Stand Together’.

What we can see in the clip does not substantially deviate from the atmosphere of the BBC production, but the head of Channel 4, Jay Hunt, has suggested that the new version would be given a “modern” revamp. “I have seen the first episode and the first thing you think is that this is Bake Off but with an extraordinarily high calibre of contributors but with a slight Channel 4 feel to it,” she said in the broadcaster’s annual report.

Other than a photograph of the program’s presenters – returning judge Paul Hollywood, and new judges Sandi Toksvig, Noel Fielding and Prue Leith – this is the first viewers have seen of the new franchise since Channel 4 acquired the rights to the show last September. It will be interesting to watch the dynamic between Hollywood, the only holdover from the BBC cast, and the new cast. 

Meanwhile, beloved former judge Mary Berry is busy on her new venture with the BBC called “Britain’s Best Cook”. This show, created to fill the void left by the departure of GBBO, will feature ten contestants cooking “the most perfect version of dishes that define modern British home cooking, as well as create their special take on well-loved classics”, according to the  BBC. Berry will be joined by an as-yet-unnamed judge, and the program will be hosted by Claudia Winkleman.