BBC2 bosses axe Great British Bake Off rival The Big Family Cooking Showdown following poor ratings
WHEN they lost The Great British Bake Off to Channel 4 three years ago, the BBC hit back with rival show The Big Family Cooking Showdown.
But it struggled in the ratings — and has now been axed by BBC2 bosses.
It debuted with a respectable 2.2million viewers in August 2017, fronted by Zoe Ball and 2015 Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain, and judged by Michelin star chef Giorgio Locatelli and cookery teacher Rosemary Shrager.
But neither of its two star presenters returned for the second series the next year, as 2017 Celebrity MasterChef winner Angellica Bell, and Michelin chef Tommy Banks stepped in as co-hosts and judges — and the ratings slumped to 1.3million while 6.5million watched The Great British Bake Off.
The show did not appear in the schedules last year as it was quietly sidelined — and now the BBC has confirmed: “There are currently no plans for another series of The Big Family Cooking Showdown.”
The show was an obvious imitation of Bake Off, except families took to the kitchen to create dishes.
A show insider added: “Channel 4 saw this show as such a rival to Bake Off that they decided to air their show on the same night, at the same time.
“But the BBC backed down and moved their show from a Tuesday to a Thursday — grumbling that the clash wasn’t in the best interests of public service broadcasting.”
It’s fair to say, the BBC lost the big showdown with Channel 4.
READ ON FOR MORE OF ANDY HALLS' BIZARRE TV COLUMN
On your marks, get set, go for it!
HERE are the brave contestants about to tackle TV challenge Race Across The World – one of the best formats on the box right now.
The BBC2 series’ second run, which starts on Sunday evening, will see teams of two travel from Mexico City to the world’s most southerly city, Ushuaia in Argentina, without taking a single flight or using smartphones.
The first pair to battle their way to the finish line will win a cash prize of £20,000.
In the first episode, which is great viewing, the teams must negotiate manic Mexico City, the largest Spanish-speaking urban sprawl on the planet.
During the race, they must pass through seven checkpoints.
There are very few shows on telly that I would want to have a crack at but this one is right up there.
- Married Rob and Jen, both 33, are from Reading. Rob is deaf in one ear and has 20 per cent hearing in the other. Jen hopes the trip will boost Rob’s confidence and improve communication.
- Couple Michael, 47, and Shuntelle, 40, from South London, met three years ago. Ex-military man Michael wants to get Shuntelle, who likes first class travel, out of her comfort zone.
- Brother and sister Dom, 22, and Lizzie, 21, who are from Wetherby, West Yorks, hope that the race will help them to become close again after they drifted apart as teenagers.
- Mum and son Jo, 54, and Sam, 19, are from Manchester. Sam suffers from ADHD and struggled at school. His mum went backpacking 30 years ago and wants to do it again this time with her son.
- Uncle and nephew Emon, 35, and Jamiul, 25, are from Oldham, Lancs. Emon spent ten years apart from Jamiul until they met up at a family wedding three months before the race.
Must watch
WHAT? Panorama, BBC1, 8.30pm
WHY? The documentary series takes us inside a call centre in India run by criminals to show how thousands of Britons are conned out of cash using phone scams.
A Berry sleazy worker
MARY Berry has revealed she was once the victim of sexual harassment at work.
The baking legend is one of many stars who have suffered inappropriate behaviour during their career and admits her experience while working in a hotel kitchen with a drunken male chef left her “very frightened”.
Mary, 84, says she sees it as a time she would rather forget.
She said: “I worked in a hotel which is no more and they had a very drunk chef who was very lazy.
“He had his beer on the table and anything that needed a bit of stock, he would just tip his beer in.
“He would always be after the girls.
“I hated every day and I was only there four weeks.
“I was very frightened, I never knew what he was going to do next.”
But Mary feels the industry has undergone a welcome change with female chefs calling out sexual harassment.
Mary said: “Catering kitchens have so improved.”
bizbit
TOWIE’s Jess Wright has got engaged to boyfriend William Lee-Kemp after dating him for 13 months.
She revealed the news on Instagram yesterday by posting an image of them kissing on a holiday in the French Alps.
Ed back on his travels
HE immersed himself in the world of homeless people, now survival expert Ed Stafford is about to do the same with the gypsy and traveller communities.
Three-part documentary series, 60 Days With The Gypsies, will air on Channel 4 later this month with the former soldier and explorer stepping outside his comfort zone once again.
It follows 60 Days On The Streets, which last year saw Ed spend two months sleeping rough to examine the rise in homelessness on the streets of Britain.
He said: “Like homelessness, gypsy and travelling communities are often shrouded in negativity despite very little understanding and I want to learn more.
“I have no qualms about immersing myself in every ritual, tradition and aspect of the culture in order to get to know the individuals and unpick the stereotypes.”
This is a documentary that’s guaranteed to spark debate.'
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Jason's smoking
JASON Watkins got the ultimate praise for playing pipe-smoking Harold Wilson in The Crown.
The actor, currently in ITV’s McDonald & Dodds, befriended one of the late Prime Minister’s close relatives, who got in touch to say how much they liked his version of Wilson.
Jason has even been invited to Wilson’s old university, and he jokes that he might deliver his “impersonation” of him.
He said: “Jesus College in Oxford want me to be their guest of honour – I’m going to take my pipe.”
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