Channel 4 have made their Great British Bake Off line-up official, revealing which female restauranteur, female comedian and writer and male comedian and actor will be joining Paul Hollywood in the Bake Off tent this summer, when the long-running series makes the jump from the BBC to Channel 4 official later this year.
The Hosts – Sandi Toksvig OBE and Noel Fielding
Now that Mel and Sue have hung up their aprons and waved goodbye to Bake Off, Channel 4 have been looking for new presenters for quite some time. Comedian and writer Sandi Toksvig OBE will join comedian and actor Noel Fielding to host the new show, as they have a bit of fun in the Bake Off tent alongside the 12 amateur bakers fighting it out for the winner’s title on the eighth series.
Toksvig’s recent work has seen her present the revival edition of daytime game show Fifteen-to-One on Channel 4, so she’s obviously already in good stead with the channel. She also took over from Stephen Fry as the host of QI back in October, 2016, but there’s no news as to whether or not she’ll be sticking with the show moving forward, especially now she’s going to be busy eating cakes in the Bake Off tent!
Rising to fame following his work on The Mighty Boosh, Fielding seems to have been out of the spotlight for quite some time now, but all that will change when he joins Toksvig in spearheading one of the country’s most popular shows. Can the pair succeed in bringing viewers back for Season 8, despite the show being on a completely new channel? Only time will tell. Perhaps the new female judge will help turn the tide in Channel 4’s favour…
The Judges – Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith
If you’re a Bake Off fan, you know exactly who Paul Hollywood is, so we’ll jump straight to the ‘baking news’ that Prue Leith will be stepping into the role of female judge, left by Mary Berry when it was revealed the show would be leaving the BBC. The restauranteur, food writer and novelist joins the show following her work on All 4 with My Kitchen Rules, so again, she’s clearly in good stead with the channel.
It’s going to be interesting to see if she can echo the chemistry Berry and Hollywood shared throughout the first seven seasons of Bake Off – she certainly looks the part, but the proof, excuse the pun, will be in the pudding.
What are the big wigs and cast saying?
Channel 4 Chief Creative Officer Jay Hunt: “The Great British Bake Off will have a uniquely Channel 4 take when it airs this autumn. Paul and Prue have huge amounts of expertise and warmth. I’m looking forward to seeing them putting our great new bunch of amateur bakers through their paces. Sandi and Noel bring a fresh wit and quirkiness to the tent. It’s just the sort of innovative lineup audiences expect from Channel 4.”
Creator and Executive Producer for Love Productions Richard McKerrow: “We are honoured to have the esteemed Prue Leith join Paul as judge on GBBO and know that Sandi and Noel will bring plenty of fun and warmth to the tent. We cannot wait for them to meet our new batch of bakers. On your marks, get set, BAKE!”
Paul Hollywood: “I could not be more delighted by who will be joining me on the show. Prue is a hugely respected culinary legend and Sandi and Noel are warm and utterly hilarious. I cannot wait to get back in the tent with the bakers.”
Prue Leith: “I am just so thrilled to be joining Paul, Sandi and Noel on the biggest show on TV and I cannot wait to see what the real stars of the show – the bakers – are going to create for us. It is such an honour to be part of The Great British Bake Off team.”
Noel Fielding: “GBBO is one of my favourite shows. I’ve always loved brightly coloured cakes and Sandi Toksvig so this is a dream come true for me! It’s basically the double.”
Sandi Toksvig OBE: “It is an extraordinary honour to be part of this national treasure of a show. Noel Fielding is one of the nicest guys in show business. The first time I met him I felt like I had met a rather wayward cousin whose take on the world made me laugh. The only down side is that he has much better dress sense than I do. I spend my daytimes on Channel 4 already so it will be a treat to be there in the evenings. I am so delighted to be working with Love Productions and Channel 4 on this best of British show.”
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So, what do you make of the new Great British Bake Off line-up? Are you happy with the choices made by Channel 4? Let us know in the comments section below!
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