Careless Channel 4 bosses signed Bake Off deal without asking if stars were on board
Top bosses, who rushed to grab the baking contest from the reach of their rivals, were left blindsided by the hosts' resignations
BLUNDERING Channel 4 bosses signed the Great British Bake Off deal without asking if the stars of the show were on board, sources have claimed.
The channel bought the hit BBC show - fronted by Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins - for a massive £75m this month.
But their triumph was short-lived after presenters Mel and Sue quit, followed by Mary, 86.
And insiders have said that top bosses, who rushed to grab the baking contest from the reach of their rivals, were left blindsided by their decisions.
Meanwhile, ITV bosses are thought to have dodged a bullet after they refused to bid for the show without all four of the Bake Off stars signed.
One said: “After negotiations between the BBC and Love Productions broke down, they began approaching other channels for offers.
“The first was ITV, but ITV Studios boss Kevin Lygo said they weren’t interested in a deal unless the show came with Mary, Paul, Sue and Mel.
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“When it came to conversations with Channel 4, that question was not asked.”
Channel 4 insisted last night that the Great British Bake Off deal was “for the format only” and that bosses knew the cast were not signed up.
But insiders went on to pour scorn on their claims, pointing out that the format for a show cannot be protected by copyright in its entirety.
One said: “The ludicrous thing about all of this is that Channel 4 could have aired their own version of the Bake Off for free, with just a few tweaks.
“The format of The Great British Bake Off can’t be copyrighted, only the individual elements – such as the showstopper challenge or the signature bake.
“Channel 4 have forked out this money when they could have made a similar show without paying a penny.
“There are no plans for the BBC to film their own Bake Off rival, but if they did decide to, there would be nothing that Channel 4 could do about it.”
A Channel 4 spokesman said last night: "Channel 4 agreed the deal in the full knowledge that the presenters were separately contracted."