Angus Deayton takes over from Tom Kerridge as host of professional Bake Off
The presenter will host the show on the BBC, despite the wider Bake Off brand’s much-publicised move away to Channel 4.
The spin-off programme – which pitches professional pastry teams against each other in a series of ever-more-difficult challenges – will still feature judges Benoit Blin, chef patissier at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire, and Cherish Finden, executive pastry chef at The Langham hotel in London.
The first series, in 2016, saw Kerridge as host, and top pastry chef Claire Clark as the third judge, although both have confirmed they will not be returning for the second series.
Chefs Mark Tilling, Samantha Rain and Helen Vass won the first series after impressing the judges with a successful, gravity-defying showstopper in the final.
Ahead of the first series, judge Blin – who is also team president of professional international chef competitors Pastry Team UK ‒ told BigHospitality that the show would encourage a new generation of pastry chefs.
He said: “It’s very likely that we will see more and more interest in the skills of the patisserie world. It might encourage pastry chefs, who might otherwise be hidden away in the kitchen, to push themselves further and raise the bar.”
In a statement to BBC News, Keiran Smith, executive producer for Bake Off production company Love Productions, said: "We're delighted Angus [Deayton] has taken up the baton to host the new series. His distinct humour and presenting style brings a fresh dynamic to the show.”
Deayton is best-known for his controversial presenting work on the BBC’s Have I Got News For You (from which he was fired in 2002). He is also known as a comedian and presenter on Would I Lie To You? among other TV appearances.
Smash TV hit The Great British Bake Off – the amateur show that inspired the Crème de la Crème version ‒ announced last year it would move from its original home of the BBC to Channel 4, after the public broadcaster said it could not afford to beat the channel’s rumoured £75m bid.
