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BBC Great British Bake Off (GBBO) Media

Channel 4 reveals Toksvig, Fielding, Leith and Hollywood as hosts of rebooted Great British Bake Off

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

March 16, 2017 | 3 min read

The future of the Great British Bake Off show, formerly of the BBC but now Channel 4 has been in flux after the majority of the host’s refused to make the leap to the new broadcaster – but the show has pinned down some big names to mark its return.

GBBO lineup

Sandi Toksvig, Noel Fielding and Prue Leith

Channel 4 has announced that Sandi Toksvig, Prue Leith, Noel Fielding and incumbent host Paul Hollywood will form the new lineup.

The baking show, formerly one of the BBC’s top properties, went to Channel 4 last year in a three year deal worth substantially more than the Beeb’s rejected offer of £15m to Love Productions.

Hollywood said he "could not be more delighted" with the new cast adding: “Prue is a hugely respected culinary legend and Sandi and Noel are warm and utterly hilarious. I cannot wait to get back in the tent with the bakers."

TV chef Prue Leith joins having appeared previously as a judge on the BBC’s Great British Menu, she said: “I am just so thrilled to be joining Paul, Sandi and Noel on the biggest show on TV and I cannot wait to see what the real stars of the show - the bakers - are going to create for us.”

Toksvig said she was honoured to join the “national treasure of a show” and Fileding said it was “a dream come true for me”.

The show will air in autumn with the BBC earlier this year deciding to waive its right to delay the show’s return to 2018.

It comes after much uproar about the BBC’s inability to retain the show, it was trolled in a high profile stunt over the ‘death’ of the show in a stunt from London Dungeon before Halloween 2016.

Does the show retain its appeal with the loss of Mel, Sue and Mary Berry? Martin Flavin, creative director at launch marketing specialists Five by Five, theorised how Channel 4 could salvage the property back in September.

BBC Great British Bake Off (GBBO) Media

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