‘The Great British Bake Off’ as We Know It Is Over. What Comes Next?

Three of its hosts — the celebrity chef Mary Berry and the comedians Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc — quickly quit in a messy public airing of grievances over the financially motivated change. They have been replaced.

Photo

So what comes next for the show and its beloved ex-hosts? And will Americans be able to watch any of it?

The New ‘Great British Bake Off’

Paul Hollywood, the one host who did not quit, will be part of what amounts to a reboot with three new co-hosts: the chef and writer Prue Leith and the comedians Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding. The season premiere is “coming soon,” the show said on Twitter.

It also tweeted an apparent nod to the turmoil that has shadowed “The Great British Bake Off” since last year: a video in which anthropomorphized baked goods sing “we all stand together,” even as they are thrust into an oven. Love Productions did not respond to an email seeking comment.

So, who are the newcomers?

Ms. Leith is a chef and television personality who founded cooking schools in both Britain and her native South Africa. An advocate for healthy eating, she told The Sunday Times that her catchphrase for dismissing unappetizing baked goods would be: “It’s not worth the calories.”

Ms. Toksvig is a veteran TV presenter best known in Britain as the witty, bantering host of the quiz show “QI.” She is also a political activist: In 2015, she helped found the Women’s Equality Party, which has contested elections in London, Wales and Scotland.

Mr. Fielding is a comedian best known as part of the comedy troupe, and surreal BBC sitcom, “The Mighty Boosh,” which gained a following in the United States as part of the Adult Swim lineup on Cartoon Network.

His brand of humor may be an odd fit for “Bake Off.” Last week, he faced a backlash in Britain after he told an interviewer he would not eat cake on the show, saying, “I get more work when I’m thinner, so I can’t put on weight.” He later said he had been joking.

Photo

Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc

Ms. Perkins and Ms. Giedroyc were the first to quit the show after its move to Channel 4 was announced.

The pair was the show’s comic relief, sprinkling witty banter and double entendres throughout each episode, and their lack of baking expertise let them act as stand-ins for home viewers who may not know a dampfnudel from a dacquoise.

Both are wildly popular in Britain. Ms. Perkins is outspoken on Twitter, where she comments on current events and her political views (she is against “Brexit”).

Last month, the BBC announced that Ms. Perkins and Ms. Giedroyc would host a reboot of a popular family-themed game show, “The Generation Game,” that first aired in the 1970s. PBS said it had no plans to broadcast the show in the United States.

Photo

Mary Berry

Mary Berry, a celebrity chef and fan favorite who has been cooking on British television for decades, has been busy since she quit “Bake Off” last year.

When she left, she said it was out of loyalty to the BBC, “as they have nurtured me, and the show, that was a unique and brilliant format from Day 1.”

The BBC has been happy to continue working with her. In the last year, she has hosted two BBC shows, “Mary Berry’s Secrets From Britain’s Great Houses” and “Mary Berry Everyday.” And earlier this month, the broadcaster announced a third show to be hosted by her: “Britain’s Best Cook.”

The BBC said the new show would look for the best of “modern British home cooking,” like roast beef, chicken curry or chocolate pudding. PBS says it has no plans to broadcast Ms. Berry’s new projects.

Continue reading the main story