PM backing ‘cool under pressure’ Nadiya in Great British Bake Off

Anna Beattie, executive producer and originator of the Bake Off concept, said the matter of casting on the BBC show was a natural process, where contestants were picked based on their ability to “bake and talk”. “I’m going to do the best showstopper I can, but I don’t think I’m going to – I don’t think it’s going to be…” she said, choking up. They then thought about “trying to get a representative mix” of Britain.

The prime minister has revealed that he is a fan of the show and has a favourite – Nadiya Jamir Hussain.

Meanwhile, the BBC is investigating claims of a £10,000 betting scandal involving its employees.

But The Sun reports on claims that workers for the BBC and the show’s production company have been using their knowledge of the victor to make a few 500 bets worth a total of £10k.

A source told The Mirror: ‘The people putting on these bets were not very clever and it was quite easy to see they were involved in TV once we did a few research’.

“A quick Google and you can see two or three are in TV and have close links to the BBC and GBBO’s production company”.

“Even when we made the price very short so they wouldn’t win much they continued to try to put more money on and at this stage there were more contestants left in the competition than there are now, but it was clear they seemed to know the victor and it looks like it was a case of insider trading”.

“Placing everything on one baker again and again immediately set off red flags”.

Love Productions said: “We take any allegation of breach extremely seriously”. She said: “I was a bit nervous that perhaps people would look at me, a Muslim in a headscarf, and wonder if I could bake”.

“I hope that week by week people have realised that I can bake – and just because I’m not a stereotypical British person, it doesn’t mean that I am not into bunting, cake and tea”.