A former Great British Bake Off boss is suing Sky amid claims the broadcaster attempted to poach the show from Channel 4.
Letty Kavanagh, who helped make the show, claims she was fired for raising concerns about the programme’s future after Sky allegedly tried to acquire the rights to Bake Off and remove it from terrestrial TV.
Bake Off has been broadcast on Channel 4 since 2017 despite being made by Sky’s Love Productions subsidiary.
Sky is understood to have wanted the show for its own networks when Channel 4’s broadcast deal came up for renewal in 2024, although it was unsuccessful in acquiring the programme.
However, Ms Kavanagh reportedly alleged that Sky’s pursuit of the TV show was itself a conflict of interest, since – through its ownership of Love Productions – it was aware of contractual arrangements with Channel 4.
She also alleged that Sky planned to cancel some of the show’s spin-offs, such as the celebrity version and Junior Bake Off.
She reportedly claimed that this would have put hundreds of jobs at risk and would have damaged Bake Off’s brand which first reported the claims
Ms Kavanagh has filed a legal claim at the High Court for breach of contract against Sky and Love Productions. Sky has disputed the allegation, arguing that there is no legal basis for the claim.
The Great British Bake Off is one of Britain’s most popular TV shows.
Originally broadcast on the BBC, the inaugural presenters were Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, both comedians, with Paul Hollywood and Dame Mary Berry as judges.
The Channel 4 version saw Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig take the helm as presenters with Dame Prue Leith judging alongside Mr Hollywood.
Love Productions will soon have a new owner after Sky announced that it would buy ITV’s media and <a href="https://comicvibe.com/jojo-tv-goes-live-on-tcl-smart-tvs-across-india-mena-expanding-the-reach-of-gujarati-entertainment/” title=”JOJO TV Goes Live on TCL Smart TVs Across India & MENA, Expanding the Reach of Gujarati Entertainment”>entertainment business for £1.6bn.
ITV Studios will become a standalone production business and has secured a £2.1bn commitment with Sky for five years for shows including Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Love Island and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!.
As part of the deal, it was announced that ITV Studios would acquire Love Productions for £200m, meaning the Bake Off producer will have a new owner.
Bake Off will return for its 17th season next month and Nigella Lawson will replace Dame Prue as a judge on the baking competition series.
A Sky spokesman said: “We do not recognise Ms Kavanagh’s account of events. We reject the possibility of a conflict of interest in relation to assets we control and wholly own and refute her allegations of discrimination and retaliation in the strongest possible terms.
“We do not intend to comment further at this stage. Regrettably, this matter is the subject of ongoing legal proceedings, in which we intend to vigorously defend our position.”
Love Productions and Ms Kavanagh’s lawyers were contacted for comment.
