A new era has dawned for that most British of institutions, The Great British Bake Off.
When it was announced in early 2017 that Channel 4 had bought the rights to a show which had almost become synonymous with the BBC, its host channel for seven series, nothing short of uproar poured out from its loyal and protective audience. Then came the news that the endearing and impeccably dressed baking royalty Mary Berry, along with long-time presenters Mel and Sue, would not be joining judge Paul Hollywood in the channel move, which is just about the equivalent to using sultanas instead of chocolate chips in any baked goods (no one is happy about that kind of surprise).
Having only watched one series of the show at that stage, and even then under duress, I rolled my eyes for the entire week during which this bun fight took place all over social media and the UK-wide-web. (Sorry, sorry, enough of the half-baked puns – I’ll draw a line there).