Oxford News
Channel 4 gives major update on Great British Bake Off future
The broadcaster has moved to calm speculation that the hit baking show could jump channels again following a huge new deal involving its producer, Love Productions.
The company behind Bake Off is currently owned by Sky, but is set to become part of ITV as a result of a £1.6bn agreement between the two media giants.
That shift sparked suggestions Bake Off might eventually follow Love Productions to ITV – repeating the show’s earlier move from the BBC to Channel 4.
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A source quoted by The Sun claimed: “The whole industry is talking about Bake Off moving yet again, which would be a tremendous coup for ITV but bad news for C4 as it is their most-watched show.”
Channel 4 and Love Productions have now jointly responded, stressing that the programme’s current arrangements are not affected by the Sky–ITV shake-up.
In a statement issued to The Independent, a spokesperson said: “Channel 4’s GBBO deal is with Love and as such is unaffected by the Sky ITV deal.”
The statement added: “The show’s existing multi-year agreement with Love remains in place, meaning Bake Off fans will be able to continue to enjoy the show on Channel 4 as usual.”
The exact expiry date of that multi-year contract has not been made public, leaving questions over where the show could sit in the longer term.
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Bake Off first launched on the BBC in 2010, becoming one of its biggest family entertainment hits, before its controversial switch to Channel 4 in 2017.
A new series with Oxford University graduate Nigella Lawson joining Paul Hollywood on the judging panel and Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond returning as hosts is due to air later this year.
The wider Sky–ITV deal will see ITV’s broadcast channels and streaming platform ITVX brought together with Sky under a new umbrella operation designed to compete more aggressively with global streaming players.
ITV Studios, the production arm behind I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and Mr Bates Vs The Post Office is not part of the merger and will operate as a “pure-play global content business”, supplying shows to the combined Sky–ITV venture under a long-term agreement.
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Sky has pledged to invest at least £2.1bn in the partnership between 2028 and 2032, alongside paying £1.2bn for ITV’s broadcasting business and selling Love Productions to ITV for £200m.
Looking beyond that initial period, Sky chief executive Dana Strong said: “As long as consumers love Coronation Street, we will absolutely be delivering Coronation Street.
“So we’ve got all of the shows that consumers love in a five-year contract. That’s a pretty long contract, as you know, in our industry.
“So I have no concerns about what happens after that. You just start negotiations for continuation.”
His Majesty will officially open the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre. a major new humanities centre at the University of Oxford, today.
The new centre brings together seven humanities faculties, research institutes and cultural spaces.
The King will meet the university’s chancellor, Lord William Hague, and businessman Stephen Schwarzman, who supported the development of the centre.
He will also engage with project contributors, academics from the university’s humanities division, the centre’s cultural programme team, and community organisations that use the site.
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The King will be serenaded by a choir of secondary school pupils before unveiling a plaque to officially inaugurate the building.
He will then visit the Bate Collection of Musical Instruments, showcasing a gallery of historical instruments.
The King will also see the Sohmen Concert Hall, the world’s first ultra-energy efficient “Passivhaus” standard concert venue, with a student music group rehearsal.
The centre, open to the public, merges academic and cultural activities under a single roof, featuring seven humanities faculties, and the Oxford Internet Institute.
It is also home to a brand-new Bodleian Humanities library.
The single largest construction project in Oxford University’s history, it combines a space for research and a stage for the world.
The centre’s year-round cultural programme, first launched in April 2026, introduces the public to an eclectic mix of music, dance, theatre, and film.
Performance venues within the centre include the Passivhaus concert hall, which boasts 500 seats.
- Read our coverage with pictures of this event on the Oxford Mail website and in tomorrow’s newspaper. More follows…
The incident happened after a woman drove a white Vauxhall Corsa northbound and the vehicle left the road ending up in a ditch the A34 northbound, near to the East Ilsley junction. The crash happened at around 10am on Wednesday, July 8.
She remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries.
No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
Thames Valley Police have launched an appeal for witnesses or anyone with dash-cam footage to come forward as part of its investigation.
PC John Henry Kelly, of the Roads Policing Unit, said: “We are carrying out a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this collision and would urge anyone who witnessed it, or who may have relevant footage, to please come forward.
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“If you have dash-cam footage, please come forward.
“We are also appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the white Vauxhall Corsa travelling northbound on the A34 to please to get in touch.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or submit a report on the Thames Valley Police website, quoting reference 43260346786.
Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The agents for Ann Widdecombe have announced that the 78-year-old sadly died yesterday, Thursday, July 9.
In a statement Cloud9 Management said: “It is with great sadness that today we announce the death of The Right Honourable Ann Widdecombe DSG.
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“We send our deepest condolences to Ann’s family and friends.”
Ms Widdecombe was a Conservative MP between 1987 and 2010 for the Kent constituency of Maidstone, later Maidstone and the Weald, and held several ministerial positions in Sir John Major’s government.
She left the House of Commons in 2010 but remained active in politics serving as a Member of the European Parliament for the Brexit Party.
In 2023 she joined Reform UK and the party’s leader Nigel Farage has shared a tribute on social media.
He said: “When Ann Widdecombe decided to stand for The Brexit Party in the snap 2019 European Elections, it was a big moment and huge boost. The voters loved her.
“She played a decisive role in getting Brexit over the line and will be missed by us all.”
Ms Widdecombe read Latin at Birmingham University before studying philosophy, politics and economics at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford, where she was involved in the Oxford Union.
While there she had embarked on a three-year romance, ending it in order to focus on her career.
Otherwise she claimed to have no interest in sex, and never married.
In her post-Commons career she appeared on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 partnered with Anton du Beke, and survived until the competition’s semi-finals thanks to the public vote.
Cloud9 Management added: “For many, of course, she will be best (or worst?) remembered for her unforgettable appearances on Strictly Come Dancing, defying the judges week after week as the public delighted in her unsuccessful attempts to follow the choreography of the long-suffering Anton Du Beke.”
Others have also expressed their tributes.
Broadcaster Piers Morgan said: “A wonderfully no-nonsense, straight-talking, highly-opinionated British battle-axe.
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“Ann was always a very feisty, combative interviewee, but always great fun too. Amid so many dreary politicians, she was a charismatic, combative gem.”
Associated Editor of the Jeremy Vine show, Kevin Maguire, said: “Saddened and shocked at the sudden death of Ann Widdecombe, 78, the Reform politician and former Conservative MP and Minister plus, of course, star of Strictly and panto
“Disagreed on most things but she was kindly and I enjoyed clashing and pulling her leg on the Jeremy Vine show.”
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