America gets to keep Mary Berry on its version of 'The Great British Bake Off'
Berry left the British programme last week after its £75 million ($97.5 million) switch from the BBC to Channel 4, but has now begun filming the second series of ABC's "The Great American Baking Show."
A source close to Love Productions, the production company that makes both versions of the hit baking competition, confirmed Berry's involvement to Business Insider.
"There's been a presumption in the British press that the American show didn't work, but that is quite wrong," the source said. "Mary is very happy to be filming a second season."
"The Great American Baking Show" is made in the UK and hosted by husband and wife team Nia Vardalos and Ian Gomez. The first season, titled "The Great Holiday Baking Show," ran for four episodes and finished strongly, with its final instalment watched by a high of 4.5 million viewers.
ABC branded it "successful" and a source told us that series two will be double the length. This contradicts reports in the UK, which said that the "Baking Show" would be cancelled.
PBS and Netflix committed to "The Great British Bake Off."
The original UK show, "The Great British Bake Off," has proved popular on PBS and Netflix. Both deals are expected to remain in place despite the show's move from the BBC to Channel 4 in the UK.
Love oversees these relationships in the US, while the BBC's commercial arm - BBC Worldwide - has a 12-year deal to manage the distribution of "Bake Off" in all other countries.
Berry quit the UK version of citing loyalty to the BBC. She followed Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc out of the "Bake Off" tent. Berry's fellow judge is making the move to Channel 4 as part of a three-year deal.