Dame Prue Leith has announced that she will be excusing herself from the judging table and leaving the tent. After almost a decade judging baked goods, remarking upon the liquor content in cakes, and deploring soggy bottoms, she will be leaving The Great British Bake Off. Prue took over from Dame Mary Berry on the series back in 2017, becoming a crowd favourite as she appeared alongside fellow judge Paul Hollywood.
Dame Prue Leith revealed the news in a post on Instagram, where she wrote, “now feels like the right time to step back”. Channel 4, the broadcaster of The Great British Bake Off, has not yet announced who will replace Prue Leith on the series.
Commenting on the decision, Prue said:
“Bake Off has been a fabulous part of my life for the last nine years, I have genuinely loved it and I’m sure I’ll miss working with my fellow judge Paul, Alison and Noel and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4. But now feels like the right time to step back (I’m 86 for goodness sake!), there’s so much I’d like to do, not least spend summers enjoying my garden.
“Whoever joins the team, I’m sure they’ll love it as much as I have. I feel very lucky to have been part of it.”
Love Productions said the following about her impending departure from the show:
“Huge thanks to Prue who has been a brilliant judge on Bake Off and a much-loved presence in the tent for nearly a decade. From her genuine expertise and encouragement of the bakers to her ability to drop innocent innuendos that reduce the entire tent (and the audience at home) to tears of laughter, Prue will always have a piece of Bake Off’s heart.”
Channel 4’s Chief Content Officer Ian Katz, also weighed in on the decision:
“Prue Leith has been a joyous presence in the tent, pairing absolute culinary authority with great generosity and empathy for the bakers. We are grateful for her passion, her wit, her ineffable style, and all the summers she spent in the tent. She leaves an indelible mark on the show and all its bakers. We will miss her wry, gentle judgement but look forward to working with her on new projects.”
The next series of The Great British Bake Off will air on Channel 4 later this year. Channel 4 said a new judge will be announced in due course.