Preparations for the new series of ‘The Great British Bake Off’ in its new home on Channel 4 are underway, it has been revealed.
Love Productions, who sold the hit show to Channel 4 for £75 million earlier this year, have started advertising for bakers to appear on the eighth series.
But the BBC could throw a spatula into the works by preventing the new season from being aired until 2018, thanks to the small print in their original contract with the show’s makers.
It’s still not known if BBC bosses will actually use the ‘cooling off’ option to stop another series being shown on the rival channel until 2018.
But show insiders say Channel 4 is “quietly hopeful” that ‘Bake Off’ will return to our screens - albeit in a different home - in 2017.
A source told The Sun: “They think the BBC won’t mind them showing Bake Off because it has so many fans and people want to watch it.
As well as its new home on Channel 4, the show will also feature new presenters after Mel and Sue announced they would be staying at the Beeb.
Judge Mary Berry also hasn’t made the jump, leaving Paul Hollywood as the only member of the original presenting team to make the move to Channel 4, in a deal worth a reported £1.2million.
A Love Productions spokesman said: “We can confirm that we are beginning preparations for the production of The Great British Bake Off Series 8.
“The precursor to every series is to find the next batch of wonderful bakers.”
A Channel 4 spokeswoman added: “We have not confirmed scheduling plans for the main series of The Great British Bake Off.”