Great British Bake Off future revealed after foreign streamers try to poach it from Channel 4
THE Great British Bake Off will “stay British” thanks to Channel 4 striking a deal to keep the show — seeing off foreign streaming services.
The much-loved cookery contest, with judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, will see its current UK contract elapse within months.
That sparked fears it could be snapped up by a foreign TV streamer — forcing fans to pay a subscription.
A TV insider said: “Love Productions, which makes Bake Off, really wants to make the show as accessible as possible for the army of devotees who’ve loyally supported them for the past 14 years.
“So despite rumours of multi-million pound deals with streamers, they’ve decided to stick with Channel 4 where the whole nation can tune in to what’s now considered a national treasure.
“C4 and Love Productions are now hammering out the details, but they’re working on the basis it will stay put.”
The programme saw a notable change when Alison Hammond took over from Matt Lucas as co-host alongside comedian Noel Fielding last year.
But it remains Channel 4’s most watched programme with last year’s launch show getting 9.5 million viewers.
Viewing figures dropped when it moved from the BBC in 2016, but the show has since kept a loyal following.
That made it alluring for streamers such as Disney+ and Netflix, which already features previous series of the show.
Channel 4 declined to comment.