'Great British Bake Off' filming and set to return this year

Julia Hunt
·Contributor
·2-min read
Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood during the opening day of the Chatsworth Country Fair at Chatsworth House near Bakewell.
Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood (PA)

Great British Bake Off fans will be thrilled to hear that the show is filming and looks set to return this year after being delayed by the coronavirus.

Like so many programmes, the much-loved Channel 4 baking show was put on hold amid the pandemic and there were fears that the delay might mean viewers wouldn’t get to see Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith critiquing contestants’ bakes at all this year.

However, it has now been revealed that filming on the 11th series is under way, with Jane Millichip of Sky Studios (the parent company of Love Productions) assuring fans: “You will have your Victoria sponge this year.”

Read more: Candice Brown's husband admits Hollywood kiss put pressure on marriage

According to Deadline, the cast and crew quarantined beforehand so that they could interact when shooting started.

Embargoed to 0001 Tuesday August 22 Richard Bacon (right) with judges and presenters for The Great British Bake Off (left to right) Sandi Toksvig, Noel Fielding, Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood at Channel 4 studios in central London.
The Great British Bake Off's Sandi Toksvig, Noel Fielding, Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood at Channel 4 studios in central London.

Sky Studios CEO Gary Davey was quoted as saying that filming was “going very well”, while chief commercial officer Millichip teased that the series was “all happening in deep secret, somewhere in darkest deepest Britain in the shires”.

Bake Off’s return has been hanging in the balance for weeks and the show was not included in Channel 4's recent release of its TV highlights for this autumn.

FILE- This is a February, 14, 2017 file photo of Prue Leith, who has appeared to accidentally reveal the winner of this year's Great British Bake Off. A judge on the Great British Bake Off, a widely watched television cooking competition in the U.K., has been forced to apologize after revealing the winner hours before the final episode was scheduled to air, it was reported Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017. (Kirsty O'Connor/PA via AP, File)
Prue Leith (Kirsty O'Connor/PA via AP, File)

However, earlier in July a spokesperson said they were trying to bring the show to screens.

Read more: Sue Perkins reveals ‘painful’ fallout with Paul Hollywood

“We are working hard to deliver Bake Off to the audience this year, the priority is the safety of everyone involved in the production of the series,” a rep from production company Love Productions told The Sun.

Embargoed to 1900 Sunday April 05 File photo dated 4/4/2019 of Matt Lucas whose charity song Thank You Baked Potato, which aims to raise money to help feed NHS workers, is on course to reach the top five in the UK singles chart.
Matt Lucas (PA)

The show will see the return of judges Hollywood and Leith, while presenter Noel Fielding will be joined by new co-host Matt Lucas after Sandi Toksvig stepped down from her role.

A return date has yet to officially be announced.

Yahoo has contacted Channel 4 for comment.

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