'I'm a TV expert and here's why the Great British Bake Off needs axing now'

Once upon a time, The Great British Bake Off was the ideal blend of wholesome viewing. It was charming and snug, peppered with humour and raw emotion from contestants eager to display their remarkable baking skills to the audience. Back in the day, when it was aired on BBC One with Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood as judges, it was also free of adverts.

However, when it transitioned to Channel 4 in 2016 following a £75 million deal, Mary, along with presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, chose not to continue with the show. While many viewers decided to boycott the series entirely due to the channel switch, I was more than ready to give it another chance, believing that new judge Prue Leith and replacement hosts Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig would bring a refreshing change.

For me, it worked for the initial few years, including when Matt Lucas co-hosted it with Noel. I eagerly anticipated seeing the bakers' creations each week and their critiques by the piercing-eyed Paul and vibrant accessory-clad Prue.

But like many television programmes, they eventually become monotonous and overly repetitive in format. It's no longer possible to be astounded by the showstopper round or thrilled about bread week - it feels as though everything has been done before.

Upon hearing that it was returning for a 16th series - yes, the 16th - not including the celebrity Stand Up To Cancer spin-offs, I struggled to muster any enthusiasm. The opening episode, filled with Paul's cringeworthy attempts at humour, dragged on for an excruciating 90 minutes!

Maybe my attention span is too short, but did the episode really need to be as long as a film?

As expected, the series kicked off with Cake Week (no surprise there), with Prue and Paul tasking the contestants to create a Swiss roll for the signature challenge and a landscape cake in the showstopper challenge.

It just seemed like nothing new or imaginative was being aired, and I found myself switching over to the Great British Sewing Bee just to add a bit of variety.

While the Great British Bake Off was once an iced gem in the BBC's crown, launching the careers of Nadiya Hussain and Candice Brown, it now feels well past its best-before date.