Hearts broke around the UK back in the summer of 2016, as it was revealed that the Great British Bake Off we know and love would never be the same, as it moved to Channel 4 taking only one of the four presenters with it.
Paul Hollywood was the sole presenter to follow the show to Channel 4, with Mary Berry, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins all deciding to quit the show following the move.
And now, the most beloved presenter of them all, Mary, has revealed that she was never even asked to take part in the show following its move to Channel 4.
She admitted that “I was never asked to go. I didn’t ever have a meeting with them.”
However, she later maintained that this was probably due to that fact that she’d already made up her mind to stick with the BBC before anything was even discussed – admitting she never even entertained the idea of leaving the channel. She said, “I’d made up my mind. It was suggested what would happen if I did go to Channel 4, what I would get, the advantages.”
At the time, rumours circulated that a bigger salary would be on offer should the presenters move over to Channel 4, with Paul admitting that that was a factor in making up his mind, saying “If you could double your wages by going across the road to a rival, would you?”
But Mary said that she couldn’t be swayed because, “To me, it’s an honour to be on the BBC. I was brought up on it.”
Mary even revealed that, like the rest of us, the move was a huge shock to her, telling the Radio Times, “no one was more surprised than me.”
She also revealed that she’s always considered the Great British Bake Off to be a show that belongs to the BBC, saying “It was the BBC’s programme, it grew there.”
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But despite the controversy (and our own sadness at the breakdown of the baking foursome), Mary maintains that she will always support Paul – despite the fact that they have their differences. She told the Radio Times, “Paul and I had our differences about what was important to us, but he is a brilliant bread-maker and I admired him a lot. I would always stand by him.”
Channel 4 originally agreed that they wouldn’t air their new version of the Bake Off until 2018, as agreed with BBC originally. However in January 2017, it was revealed that the show would air a lot earlier than that – even later this year. We’re certainly not complaining!
