Foxtel has announced a fifth season of The Great Australian Bake-Off coming to the Lifestyle channel. This will be the first series to be produced by BBC Studios who take over from Fremantle who made the first four seasons.
After a year where local productions were slowed by Covid, Lifestyle ramped up production during the months when Australia was open earlier this year. The first of those productions to hit the screen is new Love It Or List It from Beyond which launched this week.
The Great Australian Bake Off is a BBC Studios production in Australia, based on a format created by Love Productions and licensed by BBC Studios distribution.
Lifestyle and Arena group general manager Wendy Moore told Mediaweek: “With local production capabilities here, BBC Studios was very keen to take it on. They love the format and really get it. Every meeting we had with them initially was reassuring that they understood what made it work.”
Fremantle continues to work with Lifestyle on Grand Designs Australia and the company does scripted work for Foxtel’s executive director of television Brian Walsh.
Kylie Washington, general manager and creative director, production, BBC Studios ANZ, said: “I’m excited to be producing this incredible show for Australian audiences. There’s something about the combination of cake and feel-good entertainment that has proved a winning recipe both here and around the world. We have found the next lot of talented local bakers who will amaze and inspire with their creations.”
Moore said Covid impacts a format like Bake-Off less than other productions. “It is a fixed location with the same crew and contestants working every day. It is much easier to control with Covid protocols and we use rapid antigen testing.”
Moore has visited the production since it started and met with the returning cast – judges Maggie Beer and Matt Moran and the hosts Claire Hooper and Mel Buttle.
Maggie Beer said of the new series which will premiere in 2022: “How exciting that all the gang is back for Bake Off. It’s such a special show where the contestants not only dazzle me with their love of baking, but they are so open to continually learn and to help each other. It’s a real joy to be involved.”
Wendy Moore at work on new Selling Houses Australia
Return of Selling Houses Australia
In addition to overseeing a busy production slate, Moore is back on screen for Foxtel. After many years as a judge on Seven’s House Rules, she has replaced Shaynna Blaze as the interior design expert on Selling Houses Australia.
This series too is returning to Foxtel after a change of production house – Warner Bros International Television Productions (WBITVP) has replaced Beyond.
When Mediaweek spoke with Moore this week she was on location in Sydney working on a new episode. Remarkably this is the 14th season of Selling Houses Australia. When the 10 new episodes make it to air in 2022 it will have been two years between seasons.
“It’s been a harder challenge making Selling Houses because of the border crossings,” explained Moore. “We were lucky we got some interstate episodes done in the early part of the year. We have also tried to do some houses relatively close to each other when we were locked down which made it easier for the crew to move between them.”
While Andrew Winter remains the program’s host, joining Moore on air this season is the new landscape designer Dennis Scott replacing Charlie Albone. “This is his first time on TV, but you wouldn’t know it,” said Moore. “The audience is going to love him. He’s really good at what he does and he gives Andrew a bit of stick which is always good to watch.” [Laughs]
Andrew Winter with new Selling Houses Australia team Wendy Moore and Dennis Scott
Great Australian Bake-Off just one of many new series
While much of the recent growth at Foxtel has been on the streaming platforms Binge and Kayo, Moore noted that most of the Foxtel Group Originals remain exclusively for Foxtel subscribers. At least for now. “A lot of our Lifestyle series are on Binge, but not the local productions,” said Moore.
Other shows now being worked on or coming soon include Selling in the City, The Repair Shop, Deborah Hutton hosting Find Me a Dream Home which is wrapping production, Gogglebox and Celebrity Gogglebox plus the new season of Real Housewives of Melbourne.
The new season of Love It Or List It managed to negotiate border crossings earlier this year and the first episode in Melbourne again features some great renovation work from Neale Whitaker, although Andrew Winter managed to find some tempting new properties for the owners to consider.
See also: Foxtel announces new presenters for Selling Houses Australia season 14