Great British Bake Off: Why the show's move to Channel 4 from the BBC could ruin it

Could GBBO morph into something like Naked Attraction?

Stick to the recipe and keep GBBO exactly the way it is (BBC)

The Great British institution of the Great British Bake Off is leaving the BBC and will be broadcast on Channel 4.

Speculation is as thick in the air as when one tries to empty a whole packet of flour into a sieve – what will happen to Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood? What will happen to the man who made that amazing lion face out of bread? The future is uncertain – possibly bleak – for more than 11 million viewers.

2016 has been a difficult year, and after Brexit, we can hardly suffer the Great British Break Off.

The channel move of the Love Productions show will bring with it advertising. On Channel 4, ads tend to flip between plastic surgery and Barbie dolls for the same show, making one question the concept of ‘target audience’. GBBO is loved by all – older people, younger people, people of all creeds and backgrounds. What advert could possibly target such a diverse and dynamic audience?

The show has done exceptionally well abroad, and any significant change could risk the loyalty of a massive global audience. After the phenomenal success of Downton Abbey, GBBO filled the void in America for the next British staple. Chatter on the other side of the pond turned to last year’s winner, Nadiya Hussain. (Not bad for a country with a strong tendency towards anti-Muslim rhetoric.)

It also comes down to what the BBC does so well – churning out a great, comforting and strangely addictive formula. That formula applies to Sunday evening period dramas, The Apprentice, and even the BBC news’ sycophantic commentary regarding anything to do with the Pope. It’s the same feeling one derives from snuggling up on the sofa with a cup of tea and a packet of chocolate digestives.

Call me an old-fashioned, stick-in-the-mud, but I just don’t get the same feeling while watching Made in Chelsea or Naked Attraction.

The worst scenario resulting from the move to Channel 4 – all talk of revenue, profits and commercial strategy aside – is that GBBO may slowly dumb itself down in search of an even larger audience.

The gentle background music of GBBO, evoking images of rabbits hopping around in the forest, could end up replaced by battleground drums – a likely cause of stress and indigestion for viewers eating their dinner in front of it – and the contestants’ sob stories will go off the scale. Rob, who happily lives in a cottage in Kent with his springer spaniel, will turn into hysterical Rob, who is cooking in memory of his nan.

We should learn the ultimate lesson from GBBO itself: stick to the recipe.

All we want to do is watch average people bake scones in a marquee on a rainy Wednesday afternoon, without 10 minutes worth of adverts about laundry detergent. Is that too much to ask?