Berry and Hollywood's Bake Off future up in the air

Updated

The future look of The Great British Bake Off hangs in the balance as judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood have yet to confirm they will be joining the show when it moves to Channel 4.

Speculation that Berry and Hollywood - who have starred as the baking experts on the show since it began on BBC Two in 2010 - may not continue in their roles comes as hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc revealed they would not return to the Bake Off next year.

The pair released a joint statement to reveal the news, in which they said they are "not going with the dough".

They added that they were "shocked and saddened" to learn of the Bake Off's move from the BBC.

Perkins and Giedroyc continued: "We made no secret of our desire for the show to remain where it was.

"The BBC nurtured the show from its infancy and helped give it its distinctive warmth and charm, growing it from an audience of two million to nearly 15 at its peak."

They ended their statement: "We've had the most amazing time on Bake Off, and have loved seeing it rise and rise like a pair of yeasted Latvian baps.

"We're not going with the dough. We wish all the future bakers every success."

The presenters have been a formidable team since 2010, with their "good cop, bad cop" approach and their many double entendres.

Their innuendo-laced references to things such as soggy bottoms and hot baps, as well as comments such as "You have got two hours to pop Mary's cherry ... ", have been a hit with viewers.

Hollywood has previously spoken of he and his co-stars' allegiance to the BBC.

During an appearance on Top Gear this year, he spoke of the potential of them leaving the channel if the show moved.

He said: "It's not up to us, it's up to the production company, but as far as Mary, Mel, Sue and myself are concerned we want to stay on the BBC."

On Monday the BBC said it would love to have kept Bake Off, but it had not been able to afford it.

According to BBC News, the corporation is believed to have offered Love Productions, the producers of the popular baking programme, £15 million per year to keep the show.

This amount fell £10 million short of what the corporation would need to retain the show on BBC One, it was reported.

Channel 4 has signed a three-year agreement with Love Productions.

The BBC said it had "made a very strong offer to keep the show but we are a considerable distance apart on the money".

Its statement continued: "The BBC's resources are not infinite. GBBO is a quintessentially BBC programme."

The first Bake Off programme set to be broadcast on Channel 4 will be a celebrity version of the show in 2017, in aid of Stand Up To Cancer.

Channel 4 said it was "very proud" to be the new home for the series.

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