BBC Worldwide Africa switches Come Dine with Me South Africa from BBC Lifestyle to the BBC Brit channel on DStv; 4th season will start on 15 February with more colourful and diverse contestants.

The 4th season of the beloved Come Dine With Me South Africa series is switching channels from BBC Lifestyle to BBC Brit (DStv 120) and will start on Thursday 15 February at 20:00 with the revived show that will once again include voice-over narration done by Dave Lamb.

The 4th season of the show will start on BBC Brit exactly a year after the SABC awkwardly announced that it had picked up the food competition series for a 4th season on SABC3 - just to then be forced to backtrack after already airing promos and announcing that it will no longer be producing the show.

The out-of-cash SABC failed to sign the necessary contracts for the ITV Studios format produced show.

BBC Worldwide Africa and the South African production company Rapid Blue that is the format rights holder, then agreed to bring the show back for viewers of the BBC's entertainment fare in South Africa and across Africa.

BBC Worldwide Africa has been reluctant to bring Come Dine with Me SA back for a 4th season although TV critics loved it and viewers have been clamouring for more local episodes of the show.

In each episode ordinary South Africans take turns to host each other in dinner parties at their homes. They then rate each other's food, presentation and hosting abilities.

There's a 5 year gap between the 3rd season of Come Dine With Me SA and the upcoming 4th season that will have episodes filmed in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.

The new season of Come Dine With Me SA will also see the show switch channels. The previous three seasons were all broadcast on BBC Lifestyle where seasons of shows like The Great South African Bake Off were also shown.

Early in 2017 BBC Worldwide announced that Come Dine With Me SA would return to BBC Lifestyle in early 2018, but now Come Dine With Me South Africa is switching to BBC Brit.

BBC Worldwide Africa didn't specify why Come Dine With Me SA is switching to BBC Brit and why it will no longer be on BBC Lifestyle.

"We are thrilled to be able to announce the return date of Come Dine With Me South Africa for a 4th series," says Joel Churcher, general manager and vice president of BBC Worldwide Africa.

"Since announcing its return, viewers have blown us away with their excitement at seeing a new line-up of the country's best and worst dinner hosts step into the kitchen."

"I have seen a sneak peek of episode one and am confident that the new contestants will find their ways into the hearts of our viewers with the new episodes, promising even more iconic moments and catchphrases".

The first episode of the 4th season of Come Dine With Me South Africa is set in Pretoria with pole dancer Carmi van Heerden, the hyper-critical Philipine Modimogale, the amateur-dramatic Ian Perryman and the chatty Nonhlanhla Ntwasa.

"After all these years of producing international formats for a South African audience, I'm still constantly amazed at all the colourful and diverse personalities that our amazing country has to offer," says Kee-Leen Irvine, Rapid Blue executive producer. 

"This season of Come Dine With Me South Africa once again bring the proof to the pudding.”

SABC3 Expresso chef Zola Nene replaces Shirley Guy as judge in the 3rd season of BBC Africa's The Great South African Bake Off starting October.

The SABC3 Expresso chef Zola Nene has replaced Shirley Guy as judge in the third upcoming season of BBC Worldwide Africa's The Great South African Bake Off starting in October on BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174).

It is the first judge change for the Rapid Blue produced show, based on The Love Productions format, that saw a presenter change in the second season.

Filming of the new third season is starting this month.

According to BBC South Africa, Shirley Guy who was a judge alongside Tjaart Walraven, decided that she wanted to "spend more time with her family" and pursue other projects.

Zola Nene will now judge the contestants' baking alongside Tjaart Walraven, with comedian Anne Hirsch and Lentswe Bhengu both back as co-presenters.

Zola Nene, originally from Durban, now lives in Cape Town and works as a TV chef, appearing on Expresso.

After working as a pastry chef in England, she returned to Stellenbosch and studied at the Institute of Culinary Arts in Stellenbosch and has become a cookbook author.

"I started my career in the food world as a pastry chef and ever since then I have always loved baking," says Zola Nene in a statement.

"I'm hugely excited to be joining The South African Bake Off family, simply because I'm a big fan of the show. I know it's going to be a lot of fun and I can't wait to meet all of the new hopeful bakers and join them on this exciting new adventure."

Tjaart Walraven says "it is fantastic that Zola will be joining the team. It has been an absolute pleasure judging alongside Shirley Guy for series one and two but I know it is going to be a fun new experience working with Zola. I'm very excited to get into the tent and see all the new contestants and of course - sample their bakes."

BBC Worldwide Africa renews The Great South African Bake Off for a 3rd season on BBC Lifestyle set for broadcast in late 2017.

BBC Worldwide has renewed The Great South African Bake Off for a third season that will be broadcast in late-2017 on BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174).

The 10 episodes of third season of the baking show based on The Love Productions format and produced by Rapid Blue, will once again be filmed in Johannesburg during winter.

Contestants will likely be vetted even more stringently than before after contestant Asfeyah Mia awkwardly left the second season midway through the show after questions surfaced about her amateur baking status.

Applications have opened and will close on Monday 12 June with more information about how to enter at www.bbcsouthafrica.com.

BBC Worldwide says the second season of The Great South African Bake Off pulled an average of 100 000 viewers per episode and made BBC Lifestyle the number one rated channel in its competitor set on DStv.

The Great South African Bake Off contestant Asfeyah Mia gone midway from BBC Lifestyle's second season on DStv after questions about her amateur baking status.

The contestants have been revealed for the second season of The Great South African Bake Off on BBC Lifestyle that will start on 18 October with one of the contestants that left the show partway during filming after questions were raised over whether she's really an amateur baker.

Viewers will see Asfeyah Mia (52) a Johannesburg, housewife as one of the 12 new Great South African Bake Off contestants, but she leaves the show partway through the upcoming second season.

BBC Worldwide and production company Rapid Blue says that "although the production team were aware of the [2013 online] article before filming began and were satisfied that Asfeyah did meet the criteria, it was agreed the article had the potential to be a distraction and Asfeyah volunteered to step down in fairness to her fellow bakers and viewers".

BBC Worldwide making a second season of the Love Productions format, says "Asfeyah left The Great South African Bake Off before the final, therefore her departure did not impact either the make-up of the final or the overall series winner".

Lentshe Bhengu also replaces Donovan Goliath as the new co-presenter with Anne Hirsch in the upcoming season, with Shirley Guy and Tjaart Walraven as the judges.

The second season of the show includes 12 contestants, ranging from Johannesburg housewives and a domestic worker, to an economist and a scientists doing crop modelling, to a psychologist, electrician and correctional officer.

Nasreen Chamda (28), industrial psychologist, Johannesburg
She calls baking with her mom "one of my most precious memories" and says that she tends to "push the boundaries of the cakes that we are required to bake".
Says she would describe herself as a "croquembouche" because it has "components that are traditional and pretty". If she could have baked a cake for anyone, it would be for Nelson Mandela.

Cait McWilliams (18), restaurant manager, Cape Town
Calls herself a "focused cook that enjoys classic flavours" and her signature bake is "anything to do with chocolate and salted caramel".
Says her apron slogan would be "never lose your temper".

Earl Mark Morrison (48), electrician, Durban
He was always interested in baking and uses it to escape. He calls himself a "precise perfectionist who always expects good results".
He says he "bakes with passion and perseverance. Failure is not an option" and that his mom taught him to appreciate the little things in life.

Hillary Aries (32), accounts clerk, Johannesburg
He says he started experimenting with baking as a teenager. "Every Sunday as a family we had to have something fresh out of the oven, so I would always bake anything from scones to breads, and my favourite, chocolate cake".
He says baking for him is all about taste and would bake a cake for his parents if he could. "I know my mum and dad are watching over me."

Jason Miller (24), design student, Johannesburg
He says that he can do the moonwalking while baking and would like to bake a cake for Lady Gaga. "I love her style, her music and everything she stands for.
The slogan on his apron would be: "When life gives you lemons, make a cheesecake".

Leon Jansen van Vuuren (50), correctional officer, Johannesburg
This home cook says him mom taught him how to bake three decades ago, and says he's scared of working with the mixer and the oven.
If he was a cake he says he would be a "bee sting cake - soft on the inside and hard and sticky on the top".

Penny Rider (57), housewife, Johannesburg
Her biggest baking disaster ever was making rusks for a friend and forgetting to add the sugar.
"I learnt the basics of baking from my mum and the more advanced baking from my dad".

Asfeyah Mia (52), housewife, Johannesburg
Says she likes to "experiment with new ideas, equipment, inspiration". The slogan on her apron would be "bake from your heart".

Avontalent Tanhera (29), domestic worker, Durban
Originally from Zimbabwe, Avontalent says her passion "started four years ago, as I was far away from home".
"What sets me apart from the other bakers is I am still new to baking. I don't back of easily and I'm good with flavours. I am fast, determined and optimistic".

Carol Ndovela (35), promo producer, Johannesburg
Says she got into baking from watching cooking and baking shows on television and says people would describe her as "rebellious, I don't like to be put in a box".
She says she would love to bake a cake for her late mum. "She was a hopeless baker and she would be very proud of me".

Matthew Jones (35), scientist (crop modeller), Durban
Says he was inspired by the bread baked by his grandfather and calls himself "pragmatic and authentic".
"I favour recipes with simple, easily-obtained ingredients. I also prefer to bake things where the appearance is determined by the preparation method and ingredients, rather than artificial decoration".

Motshidisi Mokoena (28), economist, Johannesburg
"I only really got into baking about five years ago whilst completing my Master's degree. My passion and love for cakes grew even deeper as I started working and needed a creative outlet from my stressful day at the office," she says.
She describes herself as a "analytical but messy cook".



Editor's note: BBC Worldwide in South Africa held a Summer Upfront on Tuesday in Johannesburg for its BBC channels and shows across its DStv channels on MultiChoice but didn't inform beforehand that it would be happening.
BBC Worldwide's PR agency says there wasn't enough coverage of BBC Worldwide's previous upfront given to justify an invitation/communication.

Lentswe Bhengu replacing Donovan Goliath as co-presenter in the second season of The Great South African Bake Off on BBC Lifestyle.

The largely unknown Lentswe Bhengu is replacing Donovan Goliath as co-presenter in the second season of The Great South African Bake Off on BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174) starting in October.

Lentswe Bhengu will now join former co-presenter Anne Hirsch in the place of Donovan Goliath that failed to pop in a lackluster first season presenting stint in the Rapid Blue produced baking show for the BBC Worldwide channel seen in South Africa and Africa.

Lentswe Bhengu is the only swap-out in the second local South African version based on the Love Productions format, with judges Shirley Guy and Tjaart Walraven both returning for the second season of The Great South African Bake Off.

Not that familiar to many viewers, Lentswe Bhengu made appearances on the community TV channel SowetoTV's Kasi Kitchen, a web series called Africa on a Plate and on SABC3's breakfast show Expresso and has worked as a chef at restaurants like Savoy Cabbage, The Roundhouse and Saucisse Deli.

"I'm over the moon to be joining The Great South African Bake Off," says Lentswe Bhengu in a prepared statement. "I can't wait to join BBC Lifestyle's successful local version.

Anne Hirsch says she "can't wait to see what this year's bakers have in store for us".

Judge Shirley Guy says she's "delighted to be back for a new season and I'm sure that the show is going to be even better this year".

Judge Tjaart Walraven says he's also "absolutely thrilled to be back again in the Bake Off tent and I'm looking forward to even more incredible bakes".

The Great South African Bake Off returning for a second season to BBC Lifestyle; applications open to find 10 new amateur bakers for the reality baking competition.

The Great South African Bake Off has been commissioned for a second season by BBC Worldwide and will once again be produced by Rapid Blue with BBC Worldwide's Kirsty Hanson as executive producer.

In March BBC Worldwide announced that it had invested an unspecified amount of money in Rapid Blue as part of its plans to ramp up its local TV production capacity in South Africa to produce more focused, locally-produced programming for its set of BBC channels available on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform across the African continent.

The Great South African Bake Off will be back for a second season on BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174) with 10 new bakers, with amateur bakers who can now enter at bbcsouthafrica.com until 13 June.

Successful applicants will have to be available to attend the countrywide contestant auditions during the end of June and July.

Filming of the second season of The Great South African Bake Off will take place in Johannesburg and will be broadcast on BBC Lifestyle towards the end of 2016.

BBC Worldwide didn't release any ratings information and actual viewership figures for the show, but says The Great South African Bake Off was "the highest performing show on BBC Lifestyle for 2015" and on social media "trended" on Twitter during every new episode.

"BBC Worldwide is dedicated to commissioning shows that delight and entertain our local audiences," says Kully Kaur-Bains, BBC Worldwide's head of programming for Africa in a statement.

"The talented, vibrant and vivacious bakers found in South Africa are one of the reasons The Great South African Bake Off is so special and why we can't wait to embark on a brand-new series."

Admin manager Dot Dicks crowned the baking winner of first season of The Great South African Bake Off on BBC Lifestyle.

Dot Dicks, an admin manager from Johannesburg was crowned as the winner of the first season of The Great South African Bake Off on BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174) on Tuesday night.

The start of the show, the first season of the local South African adaptation was marred when technical playout problems prevented the first episode from starting on the night BBC Worldwide said it would, causing embarrassment for BBC Worldwide in South Africa and to sponsors.

Last night, after a wedding cake bake off, Dot Dicks was announced as the winner over Teddy Zaki and Michaela Tseun in the show that was produced by Rapid Blue.

"It has still not sunk in," said Dot Dicks. "If I look back all those months ago when I first entered and got the first phone call that I was on a shortlist, I was so excited to have gotten that far."

"Never in my wildest imagination did I think I was good enough to win and there were a few close calls. I feel honoured and humbled to be crowned South Africa's best amateur baker especially if I look at my fellow competitors and all of whom are brilliant, passionate, talented bakers."

"I will always bake as it is my passion and hobby. My dream is to own a small guest house somewhere in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands and serve high teas, delicate cakes, cream scones and perhaps a glass or two of bubbly."

Upgrades to BBC Worldwide's content delivery system to blame for Great SA Bake Off broadcast 'under bake' on DStv; first episode will now be shown Thursday.

A failure after recent upgrades of BBC Worldwide's content delivery system is to blame for Tuesday night's broadcasting flop when the BBC's global commercial arm was suddenly unable to broadcast the premiere episode of the new The Great South African Bake Off on BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174) as promised.

BBC Worldwide has now rescheduled the debut episode of The Great South African Bake Off for this coming Thursday, 8 October at 20:00 on BBC Lifestyle, with the subsequent episodes which will play out as normal - hopefully - from episode 2, in the original Tuesday primetime slot of 20:00.

On Tuesday night viewers tuned in hoping to see The Great South African Bake Off produced by Rapid Blue with Anne Hirsch and Donovan Goliath as presenters but were suddenly shown an old episode of the British version with Mary Berry - yet with new commercials from Mugg & Bean and Snowflake touting the "too fresh to flop" local version.

On Tuesday night the BBC Lifestyle channel didn't do any on-air announcements, there was no on-air scroll or apology and DStv subscribers didn't know what was happening and why the South African version didn't start as previously announced.

"Due to recent upgrades to the content delivery system, the first episode of The Great South African Bake Off was not processed as it should have been," BBC Worldwide tells TV with Thinus.

"It resulted in the first episode not going to air. We appreciate how disappointing this is for our viewers and sincerely apologise," says BBC Worldwide.

It was a battle to try and get the problem resolved and the final decision to no longer broadcast The Great South African Bake Off as scheduled was made less than half an hour before 20:00 on Tuesday due to unresolved technical issues.

After the show's now notorious "under bake:

Episode 1 of The Great South African Bake Off will now be shown on BBC Lifestyle on Thursday 8 October at 20:00.

Episode 2 of The Great South African Bake Off will continue in the usual Tuesday night 20:00 timeslot next week, 13 October. All other episodes in the series will be broadcast on Tuesdays at 20:00.

After the rescheduled first episode of The Great South African Bake Off is broadcast tomorrow night at 20:00, this first episode will also be repeated on Saturday 10 October at 12:15, Sunday 11 October at 15:00 and on Monday 12 October at 20:55.

The Great South African Bake Off Flop: BBC Worldwide tried to fix the problem with Great SA Bake Off on DStv's BBC Lifestyle until the last moment but couldn't.

BBC Worldwide is apologising to stunned viewers over the broadcasting gaffe that led to the embarrassing failure of the hyped The Great South African Bake Off to start on BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174) as promised.

It's not yet clear exactly what the problem was and what caused it, but BBC Worldwide says the technical play-out team of the British broadcaster's commercial arm tried until the last moment before the start of the first episode at 20:00 on BBC Lifestyle to rectify the glitch.

Viewers who tuned in hoping to see The Great South African Bake Off produced by Rapid Blue with Anne Hirsch and Donovan Goliath as presenters, instead got an old episode of the British version, sprinkled with commercials from Mugg & Bean and Snowflake touting the "too fresh to flop" local version.

BBC Lifestyle didn't do any on-air announcement on Tuesday evening, there was no on-air scroll or apology during the prime time hour and many DStv subscribers who tuned in simply didn't know whether they got the day or time wrong or what happened.

"The final decision not to go to air was made less than half an hour before airtime," says BBC Worldwide, saying "it tried to rectify the glitch until the last moment."

"Unfortunately, due to a technical issue with the materials, we have been unable to show The Great South African Bake Off on BBC Lifestyle. We apologise to viewers who were looking forward to seeing this new programme."

It's not yet clear whether The Great South African Bake Off will now start next Tuesday on BBC Lifestyle or how the new play-out schedule of episodes will take place but viewers will be told soon.

The Great South African Bake Off, filmed near Maropeng and based on the Love Productions format is BBC Worldwide's next big local production after the well-liked and successful Come Dine with Me South Africa ran and was cancelled on BBC Entertainment after 3 seasons.

BREAKING. Major mess and embarrassment as BBC Worldwide's The Great South African Bake Off fails to start on BBC Lifestyle on DStv as promised.

There's not just egg on the floor but actually on the faces of BBC Worldwide, BBC Worldwide's Africa and South African division led by Joel Churcher, its BBC Lifestyle channel on MultiChoice's DStv, and even sponsors Snowflake and the hilariously out-of-touch Mugg & Bean.

The highly hyped The Great South African Bake Off spectacularly flopped on Tuesday night when the show failed to start as promised on BBC Lifestyle without warning or explanation.

There wasn't immediately any press statement or media release on Tuesday night as to what went wrong and why and what is happening, while shocked viewers stared in amazement when what started on BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174) was instantly a buzzed-about TV flop.

Similar to when flights get cancelled and airlines only give the opaque operational reasons which means nothing to passengers, there's been no explanation for the reason behind the sudden unexplained technical difficulties experienced by BBC Worldwide and BBC Lifestyle which kept The Great South African Bake Off off of DStv.

On Tuesday night viewers did see The Great Bake Off - but not the touted brand-new South African version with presenters Anne Hirch and Donovan Goliath who embarrassingly still did media interviews on Tuesday afternoon telling viewers to tune in on the evening.

On Tuesday night it wasn't one of the 12 South African contestants, but BBC Worldwide, BBC Lifestyle, and the South African version of the Love Productions format that came in with an unexplained "under bake" as the first episode inexplicable failed to materialise.

The Great South African Bake Off is produced by Rapid Blue with Julie Swanston, the vice president of commissioning at BBC Worldwide, as the executive producer.

After the well-liked by strangely cancelled Come Dine With Me South Africa on BBC Entertainment, The Great South African Bake Off is supposed to be BBC Worldwide's big splash for BBC Lifestyle in the local South African TV content arena.

The no-show made BBC Worldwide, the BBC's global commercial division, and BBC Lifestyle as a TV channel look more like the SABC than the high quality pay-TV brand it wants to be.

South African viewers are more accustomed to erratic scheduling problems, episode mess-ups and late minute pre-emptions without explanation from the country's own public broadcaster than the BBC.

Viewers believe the BBC to be better and have an expectation and brand perception that the BBC is better than the SABC. On Tuesday evening however the BBC behaved exactly like the SABC regularly does, something DStv subscribers don't expect from the BBC, and not from pay-TV platforms like DStv.

BBC Worldwide's Africa boss Joel Churcher promised that The Great South Africa Bake Off would be "event television" - only the event didn't happen.

Viewers showed up for the television event they were invited to, but the BBC wasn't there, didn't show up and didn't bother to even leave a note to say why not. That breaks trust in a brand just like it does if a friend were to do that.

On Tuesday evening there was no explanation nor apology on-screen or any scroll on BBC Lifestyle to explain to viewers as to why The Great South Africa Bake Off didn't start, nor any press statement to the media during, or in the hours after the embarrassing failure of the programme to launch on BBC Lifestyle.

Equally if not more embarrassing, was the sponsors and their adverts on DStv and their flopped communication during the 20:00 primetime hour that the episode was supposed to be on.

Snowflake ironically kept running commercials on DStv touting how Snowflake and The Great South African Bake Off is "too fresh to flop" on BBC Lifestyle.

The biggest sponsor disaster on Tuesday night involved with the non-start scandal was however reserved for the disconnected and robo-tweeting Mugg &amp

Mugg & Bean, in a jaw-dropping act of marketing and PR failure, asked viewers on Twitter "afterwards" whether they've enjoyed watching the first episode of The Great South African Bake Off, clearly oblivious to what had happened, exposed for not having even watched the very show it was sponsoring.

It's not clear when BBC Worldwide discovered or realised that it's not going to, or not going to be able to broadcast the first episode of The Great South African Bake Off on Tuesday evening as promised and scheduled on BBC Lifestyle.

It's an even bigger mystery as to why BBC Worldwide didn't communicate properly and tell the media when it found out either beforehand or during the hour when there was perhaps still time to mitigate some of the damage and warn and apologise to viewers.

The damage to viewer sentiment towards the show as well as the impact this is going to have on BBC Lifestyle viewership on DStv is incalculable.

How many viewers tuned in on Tuesday evening expecting to see the start of The Great South African Bake Off and now won't return? How many viewers who would have watched now don't know when to return, or simply won't bother to try again next week if the show perhaps manages to start next week?

There's sponsor damage too. Viewers who saw Snowflake and Mugg & Bean will likely not think of or even be able to remember or recall their marketing message.

Rather anyone who tuned in for The Great South African Bake Off only to not see the show they were promised but a Snowflake "too fresh to flop" or Mugg & Bean commercial during the timeslot will likely have laughed not with, but at, those brands.

Speaking of brands, the half-baked start of the hyped show has definitely dented the image and brands of BBC Worldwide, BBC Lifestyle, Snowflake and Mugg & Bean but it's not just their loss.

DStv will be losing some money over this: DStv Media Sales will likely have to do good fors to the advertisers in make-up commercials who had their adverts shown in an hour which didn't end up containing the actual content they agreed to pay for.

And then there's the viewer - left with TV's version of the proverbial empty tray.

While the embarrassment is the BBC's, the disappointment is that of the viewers - left none the wiser as to what happened and why, wondering if they got the date and time wrong, wondering why their TV channel couldn't be bothered to tell them what's going on, and why they're seeing Mary Berry instead of Anne Hirch on BBC Lifestyle and not what they were promised, and tuned in to see.

The 12 contestants of The Great South African Bake Off range from students and a vet to a professional dancer, actuary, painter and a property manager.

The 12 contestants of The Great South African Bake Off come from a range of backgrounds for the reality competition show starting on Tuesday 6 October on BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174) at 20:00 and will kick off in the first episode with a cake challenge.

The show, produced by Rapid Blue and shot near Maropeng, is based on the Love Productions format.

The Great South African Bake Off will fill the void in cooking reality shows on South African television in the absence M-Net's MasterChef South Africa and kykNET's (DStv 144) Kokkedoor which are not currently on air, and the 2nd season of the baking spin-off Koekedoor which will only start showing in April 2016 on kykNET.

The Great South African Bake Off has local chef Tjaart Walraven and food stylist Shirley Guy who runs her own cooking school in the judging roles filled by Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry in the British version.

Anne Hirch and Donovan Goliath are The Great South African Bake Off presenters.

The Great South African Bake Off takes place inside a white marquee tent just like the British version, with teal coloured work stations.

The contestants range from a psychology student and a vet to an actuary and professional dancer to a property manager, client care rep, a painter and a design manager.

Viewers will see Johan Botes (44) an attorney, Johannesburg;

Dot Dicks (55) admin manager, Johannesburg;

Andrew Dore (25) an actuary, Johannesburg;

Shawn Govender (39) a design and production manager, Benoni;

Gavin Ronald Huxley Boyd (52) a transition lead, Johannesburg;

Shainaaz Kariem (42) client care representative, Cape Town;

Raeesa Manjoo (23) Wits university student, Johannesburg;

Lauren Morrison (42), a veterinarian, Johannesburg;

Mmala Motsepe (20), psychology student, Pretoria;

Alice Toich (24) a painter and creative consultant, Cape Town;

Michaela Tsuen (22) a professional dancer, Cape Town;

Teddy Zaki (42) property manager, Johannesburg.

INTERVIEW. BBC Worldwide's TV executive Kully Kaur Bains (who's not a baker) opens the oven on The Great South African Bake Off.

With The Great South African Bake Off coming to BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174) with South African bakers who can enter now to be in this local version of the popular reality show, I spoke to Kully Kaur Bains, the head of programming for Africa at BBC Worldwide in London to find out more about the show.


Why specifically The Great South African Bake Off as BBC Worldwide's second local programming commission for South Africa and Africa?
Kully Kaur Bains: The Bake Off format has been hugely successful not only in the United Kingdom but internationally. It's in its 5th series now and started its life on BBC Two in the UK, and very quickly captured the imagination of the UK population across the spectrum of audiences.
Quickly it migrated to BBC One to a primetime slot where the last series has done phenomenally well.
Internationally this format has been made in 18 different countries worldwide and it was time to bring it to South Africa where we have a local cushioning strategy on the BBC channels.


The first local series that BBC Worldwide commission for South Africa was shown on BBC Entertainment (DStv 120), and now The Great South African Bake Off will be on BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174). 
So I was wondering did the BBC set out to look for a show specifically for BBC Lifestyle, or did you choose a show first and then once you decided it's The Great South African Bake Off that it will be going to BBC Lifestyle?
Kully Kaur Bains: It was always something we wanted to do for the lifestyle channel. In the past we've shared some brands across the two channels but we wanted to do something that was specifically for our lifstyle audience.
The Bake Off has done phenomenally well in South Africa, the last series has doubled its share, so it made sense to have the show exclusively for BBC Lifestyle in South Africa, so the decision was always Lifestyle.


And then I'm wondering how severely will South African bakers be tested?
Kully Kaur Bains: Oh, they will be put through their paces! We're not going to be lenient on people, we're trying to keep it as close to the UK format as possible, with some tweaks for the South African audience. So they will be put through their paces. That shouldn't put anyone off from entering because South Africa has fantastic bakers and great talent.


Then the presenter or the presenters, and the judges - any word on who they will be? Can you say whether it would be South Africans, or maybe a Mary Berry?
Kully Kaur Bains: We're currently looking at a number of exciting options. What I want to try and do is to have one South African judge and one UK judge.
Then once we've decided who the judges are we'll have a look at the presenters because obviously the dynamic will need to work with the threesome. But yes, certainly there will be a South African judge.
We've seen a couple of showreels but it is too early to announce yet.


The production company is Rapid Blue of course which did the very popular and critically praised Come Dine with Me South Africa. Why did BBC Worldwide choose that production company again?
Kully Kaur Bains: We loved working with them and have a very good relationship with them. They dine three series of Come Dine with Me South Africa. It was just a natural fit. They know us, we have a very good synergy with them in terms of our working relationship, so it was just a natural choice.


What type of contestants and bakers are The Great South African Bake Off looking for?
Kully Kaur Bains: Well obviously they need to bake! Ha ha. They need to be over 18 to apply, and they need to have a passion and creativity when it comes to baking styles; they need to have a bit of technical knowledge.
But you know, there are some great baking talents in South Africa. One of the reasons we confirmed this show is that every time I came to the market people were asking why don't you do this, why don't you do The Bake Off in South Africa?
It's going to be exactly like the UK, amateur bakers who've got enthusiasm and creativity - that's what we're looking for.


Over the past few years we've seen this explosion in reality competition television firstly, and then also in the genre of culinary arts - anything from Hell's Kitchen to MasterChef and things like that. What do you think sets a show like The Great Bake Off apart from all of the other ones?
Kully Kaur Bains: To be honest with you, I'm not a baker, but I've watched this show since the first series to the current series. It's full of drama, it's full of emotion. It's reality at its best. It's full of humour.
It's a highly competitive show with lots of personality and personalities and baking is what people are passionate about. People get crazy if their soufflés don't rise!
And it's a very personal thing I think. That's one of the reasons why it is so successful - it captures the imagination of the audience.
And it's not a show that's targeted at a particularly older audience, or a male audience,or a female audience.
Bake Off transcends demographics and I think that's key to its success - and everybody loves a cake, whether they like to bake it or eat it, it's something that in people's psyche wherever you go.

BREAKING. The Great South African Bake Off coming to BBC Lifestyle as a new localised reality competition show from BBC Worldwide.

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BBC Worldwide has commission The Great South African Bake Off as a new South African reality competition show for BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174) with South African bakers who can apply now for the first season which will be broadcast later in the year.

The Great South African Bake Off, produced by the Rapid Blue production company and which will be shot in Johannesburg, will make South Africa the 18th country to get its own version of the hugely popular Love Productions format.

The show has already enthralled British viewers on the BBC for five series in which amateur bakers compete against each other.

From Soggy Bottoms and Showstoppers, and from Even Bakes to Beautifully Moist and even the dreaded Under Baked, South Africans over 18 will now be able to enter at bbcsouthafrica.com until 24 May for the 10-episode TV bake-off to find the country's finest home bakers.

The 5th season of The Great British Bake Off will start on 21 April on BBC Lifestyle.

BBC Lifestyle's The Great South African Bake Off follows other similar cooking shows like M-Net's MasterChef South Africa and kykNET's (DStv 144) current Afrikaans baking show Koekedoor all finding great ratings success as viewers compete to show off their culinary prowess on television.

The Great South African Bake Off , BBC Worldwide's second local TV show in South Africa following the hugely popular three seasons of Come Dine with Me South Africa, will see amateur South African bakers who will have to whip up not just tiered layer cakes but presumably also South African delicatessen ranging from koeksisters, malva pudding and milk tart to perhaps a traditional Sotho wedding cake.

"The Great South African Bake Off promises to be event television at its best, serving up passion, skill and mouth-watering excitement," says Joel Churcher, the vice president and general manager for Africa at BBC Worldwide.

Julie Swanston, the vice president of commissioning at BBC Worldwide will be the executive producer of The Great South African Bake Off.

"It's exciting to see Bake Off spreading its wings and doing so well around the world," says Duncan Cooper, BBC Worldwide's executive producer for formats and local production. "I'm sure it will lend itself extremely well to South Africa's vibrant and exciting mix of culinary influences."

"South African bakers will be put through their paces," Kully Kaur-Bains, the head of programming for Africa at BBC Worldwide, told TV with Thinus in an interview about The Great South African Bake Off from London last week.

"We're not going to be lenient on people, we're trying to keep it as close to the UK format as possible, with some tweaks for the South African audience. So they will be put through their paces. That shouldn't put anyone off from entering because South Africa has fantastic bakers and great talent," said Kelly Kaur-Bains.

The Great South African Bake Off will have at least one South African judge.

Asked what those who want to enter, need to be able to do, says Kully Kaur-Bains: "Well obviously they need to bake! Ha ha. They need to be over 18 to apply, and they need to have a passion and creativity when it comes to baking styles; they need to have a bit of technical knowledge."

"You know, there's some great baking talents in South Africa. One of the reasons we commissioned this show is because people kept asking why don't we do The Great South African Bake Off. It's going to be exactly like the UK one - amateur bakers who've got the enthusiasm, creativity with baking - that's what we're looking for".

ALSO READ: Interview: BBC Worldwide TV executive Kully Kaur Bains (who's not a baker) opens the oven door on The Great South African Bake Off.