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Why 'Bake Off' could yet survive on the BBC
BBC/Love Productions
"The Great British Bake Off" brand could yet survive on the BBC.
A week after the biggest show on British TV moved to Channel 4, sources told Business Insider that the BBC may yet hang on to spin-off programme "Bake Off: Crème de la Crème."
"Crème de la Crème" is also made by "The Great British Bake Off" production company Love Productions, but shifts the focus from amateur bakers to professional ones.
BBC2 commissioned the first series last year in a deal with Love that was distinct from the main show on BBC1. As a result, it was not included in Channel 4's £75 million ($98 million) swoop for "The Great British Bake Off" last week.
The BBC is now in talks with Love about "Crème de la Crème" returning for a second series on BBC2 in 2017.
A BBC spokeswoman said: "We make a number of different programmes with Love, 'Crème' is a different deal and we’re not commenting on those individual deals or programmes."
TV sources said Love is in the advanced stages of planning season two and it began putting together a production team last month. Decisions have also been made about who will star in the show, with The Caterer reporting that pastry chef Claire Clark has been dropped as a judge.
“The next series will only require two judges, as the tasks will be simplified,” Clark said. "I wish all the competitors best of luck and, of course, my fellow judges Cherish Finden and Benoit Blin a great second show."
Hosted by Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge, "Crème de la Crème" is nowhere near as big as "The Great British Bake Off," but it still performed very well for BBC2. It averaged 3.8 million viewers from April to May, while the main show is averaging 13.3 million this year.
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