The Great British Bake Off—the best cooking show ever—is back on television in the U.K. with a new look, new hosts, and a new channel, but if American audiences think they’re going to see it anytime soon, they might be out of luck.
As superfans already know, in between seasons, the show went through a big shakeup. Love Productions, the company behind GBBO, moved from BBC One to Channel 4, in what Vulture described as a cash-grab-motivated move. In the shuffle, the show lost beloved judge Mary Berry, as well as charmingly and subtly hilarious hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc, leaving only judge Paul Hollywood to continue his iron-fisted rule over the pastry kitchen.
To fill the gaps, Channel 4 has brought in renowned South African cookbook author Prue Leith to judge the contestants’ showstoppers and technical challenges, with comedian Sandi Toksvig and Mighty Boosh star Noel Fielding taking over as hosts. Anyone who has seen Fielding’s work as a goth swinger, future sailor, or Old Gregg knows this is a very exciting and very odd turn for the comedian and probably can’t wait to see him in this role.
For Americans, though, there is no guarantee that is going to happen anytime soon. The New York Times reports that PBS, which has aired past seasons in the U.S. and licenses it to Netflix, has not yet decided whether to air future seasons in the United States. And a PBS rep told Grub Street that the broadcaster “has not made decisions about future seasons of the show.” Unless someone else (Netflix itself, perhaps? Or good old Food Channel?) steps up to start airing the show, it looks like it might be time to build a torrent out of pastry cream, eh?
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
