For all the criticism that ITV get at times, this whole GBBO-Gate has shown that they made the right decision. Never sign on the dotted line if (at this time) only half of the magic formula is there.

Channel 4 may have just purchased a turkey instead of a wedding cake.

Staggered C4 didn't seek assurances regarding talent. Did their desperation to land Britain's most watched programme massively impair their judgement, or do they seriously think they can get away with tinkering it to this extent?

My enthusiasm is beginning to wane considerably. Without the talent...it's not Bake Off, is it? That said, Mary and Paul would undoubtedly be a bigger loss. They desperately need to get them signed up.

Kudos to Mel and Sue though - they would of been paid more than they've ever been paid in their lives for presenting that, and they've stuck to their principles.

It shows how angry they are that they've announced this so soon - they haven't even waited to see what they might be offered.

Sad for Bake Off, sad for British TV, but hilarious for C4. Buying Britain's most popular programme for silly money is exactly the opposite of what that channel is there for.

Maybe ITV will reboot Food Glorious Food with Mel and Sue as hosts. Get it on next summer.

Whereas the BBC will be prevented from creating a new show similar to GBBO (see Clarkson and Top Gear), FGF is an existing format.

There we go then, I think it's pretty obvious C4 have bought a turkey. Anyone who says Mel and Sue are replaceable is being silly. Yes, their own show flopped but they are a huge part of Bake Off's popularity, with their partnership and innuendo. Bake Off won't work without Paul and Mary either. You need all four to make the show what it is. It's not like the X Factor where you can bring in new judges, you genuinely need people who are expert bakers, not just chefs or someone who won a year ago.

I think it's safe to say Love Productions have put the final nail in the coffin. BBC must be pretty pleased though. At least they haven't taken 2 parts of the show, and I'm expecting Mary to drop out soon too.

I remember Mary saying she wouldn't do the show without Mel and Sue - as she though without them, it wouldn't be 'bake Off'

I don't think they will actually. I'm not sure anything was like that in the contracts signed. I'm pretty sure the BBC could go and make a baking show straight away if they wanted to. I think they'll try something else though, just to avoid comparisons.

Delicious revenge would be the BBC launching a new baking show with Mary, Mel and Sue, on the same night as Channel 4 launch their new GBBO.

BBC must be in a bit of a sticky situation though. Do they promote Bake Off as much as usual to reap the ratings rewards, or do they let it stagnate so that when Channel 4 get it the ratings aren't as spectacular?

I have noticed less adverts for it on BBC1 today though, just saying...

The BBC are not prevented from making a similar show at all. They can make what they like as long as it isn't Bake Off. If the BBC wanted to make a Bakery competition with Mary, Paul, Mel and Sue they're perfectly entitled to. The only thing they can't do is make it too similar to Bake Off.

How about this:

Mel and Sue's Freedom Bake

Each week 12 contestants have to create a masterpiece. They can bake what they like, use what they like and present it how they like, as long as they use at least two of selected ingredients put forward by Mary and Paul. During the show, you get an exclusive demonstration from either Mary or Paul on how to make one of their famous recipes. At the end of each show, one contestant will be awarded the Baker's Golden Rolling Pin whilst another will be asked to leave.

Mel 'n' Sue's statement:


Bloody well good on them. It's nice to see talent who realise that money isn't the be-all and end-all. They both realise that the show is what it is because of the BBC and commercial broadcasters wouldn't have taken the risk.

When you look at Love's other stuff, it's all trash like Benefits Street. It's clear that the Bake-Off and its spin-offs were nurtured by the BBC's unique position.

"We're not going with the dough"....ouch!

Love Productions have killed their golden goose through greed.

Yep, exactly. I hold no ill will towards Channel 4 for buying Bake Off, only towards the greedy production company. The only stupid thing Channel 4 have done is not getting talent signed on beforehand - at least ITV saw the problem there!

£25m is suddenly looking very overpriced...

If the BBC play this right they will end up looking like the heroes, not the dummies.

Channel 4 and Love will get all the flak for wrecking the nation's favourite for money.

The BBC now should quickly create a show around Mel, Sue, Mary and Paul that is similar but not identical and like I said last night that will not get 12 million but will beat GBBO on 4 hands down.

As the audience want familiarity and the presenters are at least 60% of the success of the show.

Every other attempt at cooking shows flops not because they are massively different from all the other cooking shows. They just do not have that spark that glues the cooking together.

So offer the money they would have gone to in order to increase Love's offering to as close as they could get to their demands and use it to build something new around what the public want - these four together on the BBC.

They will get all the sympathy and Channel 4 and Love only public annoyance.

To the extent that they both might even decide to back out and return the show to the BBC if it is obvious they are not going to get the same programme that will retain most of the audience.

That audience will mostly follow the presenters if they stay at the BBC. And whilst some will watch the new bake off at least out of curiosity Channel 4 will start at a high point of 5 - 6 million but end up at 2 - 3 million and in no way be worth the vast sum.

Again as I said last night I think this story still has some way to go yet. I suspect Channel 4 might have miscalculated to the extent that they expected this move to go down well with the public as they would give them more of Bake Off. Hopefully with the team presenting it, but, if not, that this was of lesser significance.

But it never was like that and they just might be starting to realise their mistake.

If Mary and Paul follow Mel and Sue I think Love and Channel 4 have a crisis on their hands and would not be amazed if they do a U turn.

I'd be tempted to create a suspiciously similar substitute called "The Great British Bog Off!" with the same talent and format. They can't touch you for it, as Eric Morecambe used to say.

Bake Off is a pretty unremarkable format really, there's nothing really copyrightable in there, it's doing nothing that other shows haven't done before, it just happened to strike the right nerve with talent and genuinely good contestants with no backstabbing or fake drama.

Mel and Sue have done themselves no harm, that's for sure. I expect the BBC will look after them well after this.

This is like Top Gear now but the reverse. We all know how Top Gear with Evans and LeBlanc turned out, and that was without moving to a commercial channel.

Mel and Sue have always, genuinely, come across as honest and intelligent people to me, which is part of their charm.

Obviously, Sue has a few shows on BBC and Mel too, but I genuinely believe they're doing this because they know Bake Off = BBC.

How much money do I need to put on BBC announcing a new food show starring Mel, Sue, Paul and Mary before the end of the week?

To soon to start painting placards and printing leaflets - Back Off our Bake Off ?

Whose the biggest winner? ITV. Channel 4 have spent millions on a show which will be reduced to 3 million by the end, giving any decent ITV opposition a chance.

Mel and Sue must have some good BBC stuff in the pipeline.

There must be a get out clause for Love Productions and C4 but that would come at great expense I'd suspect. The wording of the BBC press release yesterday seemed to indicate BBC would be willing to keep the show at a reasonable price and it's not too late to sort something out.

I suggested a more subtle one last night - with David Cameron's departure seeing his involvement as guest judge and the baking moved to a different warm resort each week . As the Great British Baked Toff.

But I do agree that they should build a show around the presenters - though I suspect they will not risk any legal action if it is too similar a format.

Other than in the way every cookery show is similar to one another.

Though - joking aside - I think they should just use Mary and Paul in the title - not Bake Off - and make clear to viewers they have the real element that made Bake Off succeed. As it will be nothing bit a modest success in other people's hands.

"None of its stars – the judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, as well as Perkins and Giedroyc – were consulted during the negotiations."

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-r...itish-bake-off

Doesn't paint the production company in good light, now does it! Mel and Sue are a big loss whatever anyone says, if Mary calls it quits, Channel 4 might as well press the reset button.

I quite like the factual history part of the Bake Off, the Beeb could just extend that or have a Mary Berry masterclass with amateur bakers. Maybe they can source materials like a scavenger hunt.

No chance, contracts have already been signed.

Surely Channel 4 will have to start cutting elsewhere to fund this?

Mel and Sue are probably pissed that they weren't consulted before the move was set in stone and that they found out the same time as everyone else. That shouldn't have happened. Seems a pretty shoddy way to treat them when they along with Paul and Mary are key to the show's success IMO.