The Great British Bake Off 2016 start date: When does series 7 the flagship BBC baking show air?

The show will still return in August

Paul and Mary aren't quite sure about the other Paul (BBC)

Having been delayed by the Rio 2016 Olympics, this year’s season of The Great British Bake Off finally has an air date.

The flagship baking show will return to BBC One on Wednesday 24 August, with Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry reprising their roles as judges. As always, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins will be hosting.

Last year, the show started on the 5 August, meaning a 19-day delay thanks to the international sporting event which is being aired by the BBC.

A production source reportedly told The Sun about the new season: "Bake Off is a juggernaut unlike anything else on the TV. It pulls in huge, huge viewing figures but the bosses still have to think practically.

“The Olympics is a big deal for the Beeb and they are basically wiping their prime-time schedule to show all of the action.

“The Bake Off is the one of the pinnacles of their year so they’re not going to waste it. The view is if it starts on ten million plus viewers, it’ll stay there all series. It just makes sense for it to start after the Olympic action has finished.”

2015’s show drew an average of 13.4 million viewers per episode, with Nadiya Hussain coming out as the series' winner. A year on and the baker has released a cookbook, titled Nadiya’s Kitchen