Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins – aka Mel and Sue – also quit the show, insisting that they would not “follow the dough” to a rival channel.

Paul Hollywood, however, has signed a three-year contract with Channel 4, rumoured to be worth £1 million.

Insisting his decision had nothing to do with the money involved, he later saidthat the show “been a huge part of my life in the past few years and I just couldn’t turn my back on all that – the bakers themselves, the bakes, the team that makes it, and of course the tent, the bunting, and who could forget… the squirrels”.

The show is confirmed to return to our screens this year – and applications are now being accepted online.

Images: Rex Pictures, Love Productions

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