'The Great British Bake Off' will not get a Comic Relief special.
Sue Perkins, Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry, Mel Giedroyc
Love Productions - who make the beloved baking competition - recently revealed the show would be leaving its home on BBC One in favour of rival broadcaster Channel 4, and it has now been announced that the show won't get a final farewell in the form of the celebrity charity special.
BBC bosses were reportedly hoping to reunite judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood for one last time before they part ways when the show moves channels, as Paul is the only current cast member to be reprising his role over on Channel 4.
The BBC released a statement on Saturday (29.10.16) which said: "We would have loved a '...Bake Off' Comic Relief special, but Love Productions refused to make it.
"They have now moved to Channel 4 and are making a charity programme with them - with which we wish them well."
However, bosses at Love Productions have slammed claims they refused to get involved, saying it was the BBC's lack of correspondence which left them unable to fit it in their schedule.
A spokesperson for the production company said: "Love Productions was always keen to make the Comic Relief Bake Off special. We had been trying to engage the BBC in negotiations for more than a year so we would have time to produce both series eight of '...Bake Off' and the 'Comic Relief Bake Off', which should have filmed in September.
"By the time the BBC meaningfully engaged in those negotiations, it was already too late for Love to produce the series for 'Comic Relief Bake Off' in time to air in Spring 2017.
"This was just one of the contributory factors behind the breakdown of negotiations with the BBC."
The Comic Relief special of the show has run since 2012, and took the form of a four-episode mini series with celebrity contestants battling it out in aid of charity.
'The Great British Bake Off' will instead create a charity show in aid of Channel 4's 'Stand Up To Cancer'.
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