Paul Hollywood will be ‘allowed to defy social distancing measures’ on Bake Off
The Great British Bake Off bosses have decided to allow close bodily contact between the contestants and stars of the Channel 4 series amid the coronavirus pandemic
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A number of TV shows have been flung into jeopardy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
And many new precautions have been put in place on sets to ensure that social distancing is maintained to help prevent the spread of the virus but, surprisingly, The Great British Bake Off has decided to allow close bodily contact between the stars of the Channel 4 series.
The series recently resumed filming and it has been told that in a bid to keep the show as “normal” as possible, bosses have decided that dishy judge Paul Hollywood will be allowed to shake hands with hopeful bakers – which is his way of congratulating them when they whizz up a top notch bake – and that hosts, judges and contestants can touch as they are all in one “bio-secure bubble”.
A show source told The Sun : “In these strange times, producers want the 2020 series to be as close to normal as possible and they feel that it wouldn’t be the same without a Hollywood handshake.
“The judges and hosts and the contestants have all been deemed clear because of the bio-secure bubble and regular testing.
“So if the baking is up to scratch, we’ll see some handshakes, and not elbow bumps, being dished out before long.”
It comes after Deadline revealed that filming is already underway on the next season of GBBO and the show is expected to return to screens later on in the year.
According to the publication, contestants and crew were required to isolate prior to appearing on the show and filming is taking place in a remote location for added safety.
Sky Studios chief commercial officer Jane Millichip also appeared to confirm the news.
“It’s all happening in deep secret, somewhere in darkest deepest Britain in the shires,” she told the publication.
The company’s boss Gary Davey also added: “As you can imagine, there was a lot of work collaboratively between Love Productions and our COVID protocols team just to get that right.”
Although fans were left wondering whether GBBO would return at all in 2020, Jane reassured viewers that a comeback is imminent.
“You will have your Victoria sponge this year,” Jane firmly added.
After Sandy Toksvig departed from the show, presenters Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas are taking the reins as the next GBBO hosts.
Bosses are yet to officially announce a date for the exciting season, however budding bakers can delight in knowing the season will certainly return this year.
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