The Big Family Cooking Showdown concedes defeat as The Great British Bake Off forces BBC’s replacement show to move slots in TV schedule to avoid a clash
THE BBC has bottled a ratings battle after Channel 4 pitted The Great British Bake Off against its rival’s replacement show.
The relaunched Paul Hollywood contest - poached from the BBC - will be screened on Channel 4 on Tuesday nights. .
That would clash with BBC2’s The Big Family Cooking Showdown which made its debut two nights ago.
The BBC labelled Channel 4’s move “cynical” and is switching its programme — featuring ex-Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain and Rosemary Shrager — to Thursdays to avoid a ratings showdown.
A TV source said: “Both sides are showing their teeth.
“Channel 4 insist they were always going to go for Tuesday night, but the BBC feel like they’ve done it on purpose to try and derail their new show.
“Things got very messy behind closed doors last year between the BBC, Channel 4 and Love Productions who own Bake Off, and it looks like it’s all-out war.”
Bake Off has been screened on Wednesdays for the past three years, but was on Tuesdays from 2010 to 2013.
Channel 4 paid £75million for three series.
Judge Paul Hollywood will be joined by Prue Leith, Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig when its version launches on Tuesday August 29.
In a further twist, ITV will that night pitch a Princess Diana documentary against it.
A BBC spokeswoman said: “Channel 4’s decision to move Bake Off from its Wednesday slot will be a surprise to many viewers who may see this as a cynical move”.
MOST READ IN TV & SHOWBIZ
C4 said it made its scheduling decision a few months after acquiring Bake Off.
Last year’s BBC1 final drew 14.8 million viewers.
But last night only 1.9 million watched The Big Family Cooking Showdown.
For more on this story...
Listen to Julia Hartley-Brewer from 10am on DAB, via the talkRADIO app or online at
IT'S A BIG LETDOWN
VIEWERS have panned The Big Family Cooking Showdown, branding it a rip-off and “crap in every way imaginable”.
The Bake Off replacement also has contestants displaying their kitchen skills but pulled in just 1.9million viewers.
One tweeted: “I don’t want to watch, but it’s so awful I have to.”
Another added: “It’s formulaic.”
Got a story? email [email protected] or call us direct on 02077824220.
We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.