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Sue Perkins hits out at ‘disgusting’ BBC bosses over treatment of Bake Off contestants and reveals she and co-host Mel Giedroyc threatened to quit unless format was changed
Sue Perkins has criticised the BBC’s handling of Bake Off contestants, saying she and co-host Mel Giedroyc challenged producers over a format that pushed for dramatic stories and made people cry. She said they wanted contestants to be treated with warmth and respect, and threatened to leave rather than accept what they felt was harmful treatment.
Perkins described raising their concerns with the BBC director general and said speaking up had cost her work. She and Giedroyc hosted the show from 2010 to 2016, then resigned after learning through the news that it was moving to Channel 4. Perkins said she held no antagonism towards the programme, but felt the way they were told showed they were no longer a team.
In short
- Perkins says Bake Off producers pursued dramatic stories that made contestants cry.
- She and Giedroyc challenged the approach and threatened to quit.
- They left in 2016 after the show’s move to Channel 4 was announced.
Explained simply
The Great British Bake Off is a baking competition in which amateur bakers make cakes, breads and other challenges while judges assess their work. Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc presented the BBC series from 2010 to 2016, helping guide viewers through the contestants’ progress.
The BBC is the UK’s public service broadcaster, and Channel 4 is a separate UK television broadcaster. Bake Off moved from the BBC to Channel 4 in 2017, bringing changes to the programme’s working relationships and presenting team. The debate described here concerns how reality television can create drama while treating people who appear on screen with care.