"I want to thank Mary." - as a complete sentence, feels like something you're forced to say, rather than something that's heartfelt. It certainly won't stop rumours of a falling out, and now it's 3 against 1, and the three women got ahead of the press, produced sweet, heartfelt messages, and made it very clear they were staying (with the BBC) rather than leaving (the show). Paul has, to my eyes, try to spin it the other way, and attempted to make his point that he's 'staying in the tent', trying to make it a 'loyal to the show' message, but it's been a week and a half and that's not the spin on the change of channels. Not a good day for his PR!

To be fair to Paul, this is Twitter we are talking about - you haven't exactly got many characters to play with.

But no doubt they made a mess of his inital statement. PR disaster.

It sounds like he's saying "I want to thank Mary....but I can't"!

RT pointing out something Hollywood would do well to digest:

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-...-be-replicated

There's an interview with Andy Willman on Youtube from the recent Edinburgh Festival where he makes it clear that they had a legal bod with them telling them what they can and cannot do, what names & phrases they cannot use. It even looked like they cannot have "challenges" by name (even though they might have something that looks like a challenge, but isn't called as such). He was even evasive when he was asked if there would be a Christmas Special (my take on his reply was that there would probably be a programme on or near to Christmas, but that it would not be called a special)

I bet Paul's getting a few shows on Channel 4 along with Bake Off. It'll be interesting who they get for hosts and to replace Mary

Back to ratings, Im sure DCI Banks is a goner after this series, Grand Designs returned well and Can't Pay is solid as always.

Its an awkward situation. The show has effectively gone through an operation it didn't need. All that is going to 4 is the brand name and him, and whatever we say about audiences turning up if the attraction is big enough, the culture is that people don't turn to Channel 4 in huge numbers. It wont matter if all parties make money out of the change, loss of viewers will be seen as failure by the press-and presented as such. Paul has stated his desire for the show to remain on the BBC and whilst unfair to use that as a stick to beat him with imo, its just part of what will follow him around now he has jumped ship. Bake Off on 4 is pretty vulnerable imo.

Who knows what the BBC will give Mel Sue and Mary, but if it is a competition show and they make a significant signing to replace Paul,its going to be fascinating how the two shows fare.

All Star Mr and Mrs: 2.8m (11.8%) inc. +1

The BBC has issued the following statement on behalf of Mary Berry.

Mary Berry says: “What a privilege and honour it has been to be part of 7 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.”

They could easily create something like "Mel and Sue's Wednesday Bake" and have two or four rounds and call them the "First Round" and so on. Having a live final programme where viewers vote for the winner, or even if the winner is revealed in the same way as a Strictly Dance off, would be enough to make it different. Infact, if they created a baking show where the contestants all have to make different things each week, like Dancers on Strictly do different dances, and then the judges, and Mel and Sue, give individual scores out of ten, then the BBC could claim they copied Strictly rather than Bake Off. They can hardly be sued for copying one of their own shows!

Yep, they could easily copy the format of Strictly. E.g. in week 1, four different bakes to choose from, week 2 add another to the list and you can't do the same one you did before. Have 3 rounds, so e.g. Round 1 could be Pastries, Round 2 Pies, Round 3, Biscuits and so on.

Interesting that the BBC Press Office have removed any reference to Hollywood doing his super car tour of European cities

If the BBC did make a similar show that they could probably get away with the format itself being sufficiently different enough, would having the same presenters and one of the judges not make it a lot more difficult if it came to court?

Well done to Mary, Mel and Sue. Three loyal people with principles.

Paul comes out of this looking terrible, does he think he's big enough on his own to make GBBO a success on channel 4? Absolutely no chance.

It's sad, but this series of GBBO is the last. It's finished when it goes to Channel 4, it'll just be any old baking show.

How is it Love's business what the BBC do and who they get to present it as long as it isn't Love's format? Love have proved that it is only the format that was for sale and in their eyes, by selling without the talent secured, that the talent are not attached to the format.

I wonder if Hollywood had refused to go would C4 and Love agreed it wasn't going to work and tried to get the Beeb and the foursome back together? I confess I was holding out hope for that scenario.

Happy Valley will not be back until the end of 2018 as they have to wait for Ryan to become a teenager

www.radiotimes.com

Let's be real, if you're offered a higher paying job most people will take it.

Morals and principles should be taken into account, but it's not liks this is society or the environment is it? Leaving the BBC is hardly a moral betrayal of humane values, it's a TV network.

Many people at the Beeb could peddle themselves for more money elsewhere and yet they stay despite that because it offers something that more money can't compensate them for. Comparing Hollywood's millions to an extra £5k a year for Joe Public is a somewhat facile comparison. They're different worlds, contrasting "need" with "want" for the most part.

I just wonder if it's more difficult to prove that you haven't ripped off a format if you're using the same presenters as the format you're being accused of ripping off. I think the show would need to be a lot more distinctive in its format than what people are saying.

But as we said, media isn't real life.

Paul was being paid nearly £1million a year for Bake Off just as it is, so him going and taking a £5million deal is seen as greedy. It's not the same as someone earning £20,000 a year taking a job for £25,000 a year, is it? A lot of people would argue £1million is more than sufficient and it easily puts you in the top 1% of earners.

Plenty of people work for the BBC and manage to survive. He was offered a pay rise but it wasn't enough for him, so he was motivated purely by greed.

Exactly. And he wasn't out of work either. He already had BBC projects lined up - which have now been withdrawn if you notice BBC's Media Centre pages. No mention of his touring car series on it now. So, he was already a well paid BBC employee, even if he says he wasn't.

I wonder if Hollywood had somehow persuaded C4 that Mary, Sue, and Mel would want to keep the 'gang' together and thus move with him,so that they would get both the format and the presenters. Unlikely but strange things happen in negotiations

I suppose its good to have that slated, even if it is a wait, landmark drama imo.

Are we assuming, considering it looks like his existing BBC work is being pulled, the Ch4 deal is Golden Handcuffs. So they've forked out £75 Million on the format and another £15 million for Paul they've spent nearly £100 million on this show over three years for an almost certain flop. Whoever authorised all this must be kicking themselves. How much Drama/New Comedy etc... could have been funded by the money they've spent on Baking on a Channel not exactly short of food shows :O This is more money than a mid level blockbuster movie and it certainly won't have those returns- Utterly utterly baffling move by Jay Hunt

Similarities with Adrian Chiles maybe. Adrian seems to be back in the BBC fold these days-on Radio at least.