The Great British Bake Off has returned to our screens, with a fresh batch of bakers vying to impress judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith.
But the opening episode, which aired on Channel 4 on Tuesday, saw a slump in viewing figures as just 4.4million people tuned in to watch all the antics in the famous tent.
Compared to last year’s first installment, which attracted an audience of 5.7m, it is a 1.3m drop.
A spokesperson for Channel 4 confirmed: ‘I have checked and Bake Off attracted an average audience of 4.4 million viewers last night on Channel 4, with a peak of 5.2 million viewers. It was the most watched channel on TV last night in the time slot (8-9.30pm) across all audiences.’
However, the Bake Off, which was hosted again by Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding, was one of a few programmes that went ahead as scheduled as the country entered a period of national mourning following the Queen’s death.
Major broadcasters, including the BBC and ITV, had suspended the schedule to provide blanket coverage of the events, while launches of flagship shows such as Strictly Come Dancing have been postponed.
During the 2022 launch of the Channel 4 series, Janusz soared to the top of the rankings after being awarded Star Baker, having delivered impressive Signature and Showstopper bakes.
With 11 bakers still in the running, Metro.co.uk conducted a poll asking readers who their favourite bakers are so far, with Janusz also scoring top of our vote with 27.5%.
In second place was Sandro with 19% of the votes, followed just behind by Syabira with 18.5%.
The Great British Bake Off returns next Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4 and All 4.
