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Foxtel picks up The Great Australian Bake Off

LifeStye FOOD commissions new local series of The Great Australian Bake Off with Maggie Beer & Matt Moran.

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Foxtel has picked up The Great Australian Bake Off and announced Maggie Beer and Matt Moran as new judges.

Based on The Great British Bake Off, a local series was first produced for Nine in 2013 with Kerry Vincent and Dan Lepard but struggled in a mid-week timeslot.

To be produced by FremantleMedia for LifeStyle FOOD, the new series will see 12 home baking enthusiasts serve up their best cakes, pies, tarts, pastries, bread, biscuits and desserts, for the title of ‘Australia’s Best Home Baker.’

Hannah Barnes, General Manager of LifeStyle Channels, said: “This is the series the LifeStyle FOOD audience have been waiting for. I’m thrilled to be giving Aussies with a real passion for baking the opportunity to showcase their talents. We’ll celebrate baking excellence as we find the best home baker in Australia. Our viewers’ love for the format is obvious with the huge success of the original British version and to have two of Australia’s most popular and respected foodies, Maggie and Matt, at the helm is the icing on the cake.”

Maggie Beer said, “I remember moving to the Barossa all those years ago and immersing myself in country life. Always learning from my neighbours the difference that fresh almonds of the season made to the flavour of a tart; utilising every ingredient as the rhythm of the season rolled on; becoming a ‘country cook’ with the scents of the kitchen full of that just-baked dish brought to the table to share with the beautifully aromatic perfume of the quinces that had simmered all day and then baked into a yeast dough,” said Maggie Beer.

“It’s this very notion that fascinates me about baking and a big part of my excitement at working with the team at Foxtel for the very first time on this new series of The Great Australian Bake Off and of course the chance to work with Matt. Such a great chef and so giving of his knowledge, I’m really looking forward to seeing and tasting what we all come up with on the show,” she said.

Matt Moran added, “I’m thrilled to be working alongside my good friend Maggie Beer for this exciting new project that is very close to my heart. Few people realise that baking and pastry have always been a great passion of mine and with 30 years in the food industry now, I’m lucky enough to have had great experiences and knowledge that I can’t wait to share. I’m really excited to unearth the baking talent Australia has to offer.

“Foxtel’s commitment to local production and bringing food to life on television is in line with my own passion of highlighting the enthusiastic home cooks and chefs alike all over the country that make Australia leaders in the culinary world.”

The worldwide hit Bake Off franchise from BBC Worldwide began in 2010 with The Great British Bake Off, where it remains, after five massive seasons, a ratings phenomenon. The UK version currently airs in Australia on LifeStyle FOOD, with all new series to be broadcast exclusively on the channel, and is a huge favourite amongst Foxtel subscribers.

The format has since been produced locally in the US, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Poland, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Turkey, Ukraine and France, as well as previously in Australia for the Nine Network in 2013.

The Great Australian Bake Off is a FremantleMedia Australia production of a BBC Worldwide format for Foxtel.

Jonathon Summerhayes, FMA Director of Programming, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with BBC Worldwide and Foxtel to bring The Great Australian Bake Off to LifeStyle FOOD. The format allows for storytelling at its finest, all revolving around the best bakers in the country.”

The Great Australian Bake Off will commence production shortly and the series is looking for contestants. Amateur baking enthusiasts can register at www.australianbakeoff.com.au

11 Responses

  1. Another Lifestyle format with the word ‘Australia’ tacked on the end. It is truly a shame the Lifestyle Channel is not developing original Australian formats/content.

  2. I thought this had been renewed by Nine for season 2… I was wondering what had happened to it.
    I actually enjoyed it and quite like the British one as well. It’s a fun watch.

  3. Maggie is a perfect fit, not sure about Matt Moran, don’t think he’s much of a “baker”. Probably Zumbo or someone like that would have been a better choice.

    Look forward to it though, but yes, no Shane Jacobson please!

  4. I will give this a go Maggie Beer is a fantastic choice and the main reason why I will watch it Matt Moran is a good choice as well I alwa wanted them to make Maggie a permanent fourth judge on Masterchef please don’t make Shane Jacobson the host

  5. Hooray! Just not sure about the judges, I guess we will have to wait and see. On another note can I be the official taste-tester for the show?
    The hosts will need to be at the same level of amazingness of Mel and Sue from the GBBO.

  6. Great news! I was hoping for a return of this show, but knew Nine would never bring it back after scheduling it to fail in 2013. I’m expecting to see more local production on Foxtel in the next couple of years to help compete with the streaming services.

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