Great British Bake Off was rejected by TV bosses for 'five years' before it rose to fame

The Great British Bake Off took years to be taken seriously after the makers were told a cake competition would be “like watching paint dry”.

The co-creator revealed the story behind the huge hit Channel 4, which started life on the BBC, series during the Edinburgh TV Festival.

Bake Off co-creator Richard McKerrow said: “We pitched Bake Off for four or five years. We were told it would be like watching paint dry, no one was interested.” He admitted he was unsure if Mary Berry would work as a judge because she “had not been on TV for years”.

But he was quickly convinced and added: “It was a slam dunk, the camera loved her. The lesson I learned there is…get rid of all preconceptions.”

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He also revealed Mary was influential in the selection of Paul Hollywood as co-judge, another big ingredient in the show’s success.

Richard added that eventually thanks to some help from TV executive Danny Cohen he was able to get an audience with then BBC 2 boss Janice Hadlow and Bake Off got “commissioned as an amateur baking competition with a historical twist.”

Mary Berry’s mum, who was over 100 at the time, even made an appearance on set and during initial filming people dressed up in ancient costumes for history based scenes about baking and the history of cakes.

But Richard, who co-created the format with Anna Beattie, said these were eventually scrapped in favour of a straight baking contest, which has gone on to become a massive hit, first on BBC with Mary Berry and now on Channel 4.

Prue Leith replaced Mary alongside Paul Hollywood and bosses resisted choosing a younger judge as it was deemed viewers liked watching someone who had experience of baking.

The show returns next month with a new batch of 12 bakers on Channel 4.

Richard and Anna formed Love Productions in 2004 and are also responsible for The Piano, The Great British Sewing Bee, The Great Pottery Throwdown, Famous Rich and Homeless, Britain’s Missing Top Model, Young Mums Mansion, and The Baby Borrowers.

Last week the new line up of contestants for the Great British Bake Off 2025 was revealed.

They include a drag king and two hairdressers hoping to make the cut.

Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond will lead a fresh batch of bakers through thirty brand new baking challenges, set by judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith.

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