Mel Giedroyc Thought ‘The Great British Bake Off’ Would Be A ‘One Series Wonder’ Because It Was ‘Dull’

Former ‘Great British Bake Off’ host Mel Giedroyc has revealed that she thought the show would never make it past one series because it was “dull”.

Mel, who presented the hit BBC show with her sidekick Sue Perkins, also admitted that she thought it was “bizarre” that the show went on to be such a huge success.

The 48-year-old told The Express: “When we filmed series one, hand on heart, I was phoning up Sue and saying, ‘Don’t worry, mate. No one’s going to watch this, it is a bit twee – we’re in a marquee with some bunting – this could have quite negative results for us. But no one’s going to see it, we’re paying off the mortgage, it’s a one-series wonder, don’t worry.’

“And then this thing happened. It was utterly bizarre, genuinely.”

Mel also revealed that as the show became more popular, she and Sue brought more humour to proceedings, and one person in particular got more than their fair share of ribbing.

“As the series progressed I think we managed to get in more of our own humour,” she said. “I don’t remember a single gag making it into series one – it was pretty dull as far as we were concerned. And then as it grew I think they trusted us more.

“We were constantly teasing Paul [Hollywood] solidly. Most of it hit the cutting room floor.”

Mel and Sue presented the show for seven series from 2010 to 2016.

Last year, the pair announced they wouldn’t be following ‘Bake Off’ to its new home on Channel 4. Mary Berry followed suit, leaving only Paul Hollywood from the original team still with the show.