Is this the new Bake Off? BBC set to launch family cooking show

This time the whole family can join in...

While we're still not over the fact The Great British Bake Off will never be the same again as it prepares to move to Channel 4, things are finally looking up.

The BBC have just announced an all new baking show, which looks to be the BBC's replacement for the Bake Off in a programme that sees 'ordinary dishes made extraordinary'.

The working title of the new amateur baking show is The Big Family Cooking Challenge and we're already really excited!

According to the BBC press office, teams will be made up of families, with each family competing against one another to win the ultimate prize.

The judges (whoever they will be!) will visit different family homes and 'whittle down the teams of cooks through a series of challenges based on the realities of everyday meals'.

With the loss of Mary Berry, Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc from the Bake Off, this sounds like just the sort of thing we need to get our BBC baking fix. It also brings cooking back home and gets all generations of the family involved, something which we've not really seen before.

Image: BBC/Love Productions

But we've got a little bit of a wait. The new programme is already in pre-production and the first of 12 episodes are expected to air on BBC Two next summer.

Acting Head of Formats and Features Donna Clark said: 'I'm thrilled to be taking food competitions in a different direction. A passion for food starts in the family kitchen and this format will take us into homes up and down the country where we'll meet Britain's most passionate and exciting families of cooks.'

Sanjay Singhal from Voltage TV added: 'Our ambition is to create a feel good show full of character and warmth with authentic home cooking at its heart.'

We love the idea of getting different generations cooking together and can't wait to see this on our TV screens. Maybe they can get Mel and Sue to host? That would be the icing on the cake.

Family Writer

Charlotte Whistlecroft is a former Family writer at GoodTo. She obtained a BA in Theology and Theological Studies at Durham University, going on to study a masters at City University London in 2016. Since leaving GoodTo she has worked as a Social Video Researcher at Mail Online and is now Assistant Producer at BBC Sport.