The Great British Bake Off took years to be taken seriously after people said a cake competition would be “like watching paint dry”.
Stream The Great British Bake Off series 16 (2025) Outside the UK on Channel 4 for free
The co-creator shared the story of the hit Channel 4 show, which started on the BBC, at the Edinburgh TV Festival.
We pitched Bake Off for four or five years. We were told it would be like watching paint dry, no one was interested. He admitted he wasn’t sure if Mary Berry would work as a judge because she had not been on TV for years. It was a slam dunk, the camera loved her. The lesson I learned there is…get rid of all preconceptions. He also said Mary helped choose Paul Hollywood as co-judge, which was a big part of the show’s success. Richard added that with the help of TV executive Danny Cohen he managed to meet then BBC 2 boss Janice Hadlow, and Bake Off was commissioned as an amateur baking competition with a historical twist.
Bake Off co-creator Richard McKerrow said, But he was soon convinced and added
Mary Berry’s mum, who was over 100 at the time, even came to the set, and during early filming people wore old costumes for scenes about baking history.
But Richard, who created the format with Anna Beattie, said these ideas were later dropped for a simple baking contest. The show became a huge hit, first on BBC with Mary Berry and now on Channel 4. Prue Leith replaced Mary alongside Paul Hollywood, and bosses decided not to pick a younger judge because viewers liked someone with real baking experience.
The show returns next month with 12 new bakers on Channel 4.
Read More: Paul Hollywood Makes Great British Bake Off Demand As He Teases Future Of Channel 4 Show
Richard and Anna started Love Productions in 2004 and also made The Piano, The Great British Sewing Bee, The Great Pottery Throwdown, Famous Rich and Homeless, Britain’s Missing Top Model, Young Mums Mansion, and The Baby Borrowers. Last week the new contestants for Great British Bake Off 2025 were revealed.
They include a drag king and two hairdressers hoping to impress.
Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond will guide the new bakers through 30 baking challenges set by judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith.
Source: Mirror