Jo Brand and Tom Allen’s long-running Great British Bake Off companion show is being replaced by a new programme hosted by Jon Richardson and Judi Love.
Channel 4 is shaking up its Great British Bake Off line-up, replacing long-running companion show An Extra Slice with a brand-new spin-off called Second Helpings.
The broadcaster has confirmed that the new series will air on the same night as the main Bake Off, marking a significant change to the format and schedule of the much-loved after-show.
An Extra Slice has been a fixture of the Bake Off franchise since 2014, originally airing on BBC Two before moving to Channel 4 alongside the main programme in 2017. Jo Brand has fronted the show throughout its run, with Tom Allen becoming a regular presence from 2018.
Neither Brand nor Allen will return for the new series.
Jon Richardson and Judi Love take over
Second Helpings will be hosted by comedian Jon Richardson, alongside Judi Love, with the pair joined by a different celebrity guest each week.
The new format will revisit the biggest moments from that evening’s Bake Off episode, including the standout bakes, drama inside the tent and the moments that have viewers talking.
There will also be behind-the-scenes material and contributions from members of the main Bake Off team, including Alison Hammond, Noel Fielding, Paul Hollywood and new judge Nigella Lawson.
Richardson is already familiar with the Bake Off tent, having previously competed on The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer. Love has also taken part in the celebrity version of the programme.
The comedian acknowledged the challenge of following Brand and Allen, describing Bake Off as an institution and praising the pair for creating a warm and distinctive companion show.
A new night for Bake Off fans
Perhaps the biggest change is the decision to put Second Helpings on the same night as the main Bake Off episode.
Channel 4 says the move will allow viewers to immediately discuss what happened in the tent rather than having to wait for the companion programme on another night.
Vivienne Molokwu, Channel 4’s senior commissioning editor, described the change as giving Extra Slice a “brand-new shape and a brand-new home”.
The new show will be produced by Love Productions, the company behind The Great British Bake Off and An Extra Slice.
Jo Brand and Tom Allen bow out
Although An Extra Slice is coming to an end in its existing form, Brand and Allen have paid tribute to their time on the programme.
Brand said she had loved her time on the show and praised the bakers who appeared throughout its run, while Allen thanked the production team and his long-time co-host.
Their departure brings an end to one of the longest-running companion shows in British television.
But Channel 4 clearly isn’t abandoning the idea of a post-Bake Off conversation.
Instead, the broadcaster is betting on a younger, refreshed format — with Richardson and Love taking viewers straight from the tent into Second Helpings.
Second Helpings will air weekly on Channel 4 alongside the new series of The Great British Bake Off. Channel 4 has yet to announce the exact transmission time.