http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/23/arts/television/great-british-bake-off-mary-berry.html 2016-09-22 17:43:28 ‘Great British Bake Off’ Loses Mary Berry, a Star Host Ms. Berry, an 81-year-old celebrity chef and author, is the third presenter to leave the show, which is moving from the BBC to a rival network. === LONDON — “The Great British Bake Off,” the hit series that pits pastry makers against one another in polite competition, is losing one of its greatest draws: Mary Berry, an 81-year-old celebrity chef whose understated expressions of delight and disdain have attracted something of a cult following. Ms. Berry became the third presenter to leave the program, following the news last week that it would move “My decision to stay with the BBC is out of loyalty to them, as they have nurtured me, and the show, that was a unique and brilliant format from Day 1,” Ms. Berry said in She bid adieu with a signoff she knew would make her fans smile: “Farewell to soggy bottoms.” The phrase had been her trademark way of criticizing undercooked wet pastry, and viewers heard in it a humorous double entendre, intended or not. As soon as the news spread that she was quitting, fans rushed to social media to share their devastation. Last week, Channel 4 said it had signed a deal with the show’s producers, Love Productions, to take over the show starting next year. Immediately, two of its hosts, Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc, announced their departures. “We’re not going with the dough,” they said in a joint statement. The BBC is a publicly funded television network with no advertising, while Channel 4 is a publicly owned but commercially funded broadcaster. The BBC said that it would have liked to keep the show, but that it could not financially compete. “The BBC’s resources are not infinite,” it said. The last remaining host, the celebrity chef Paul Hollywood, said on Thursday that he would move to Channel 4 with the program. “It’s been a huge part of my life in the past few years, and I just couldn’t turn my back on all that,” he said. First broadcast in 2010, “The Great British Bake Off” just began its seventh season; more than 10 million British viewers watched the first episode last month. The show is also broadcast Ms. Berry has been central to the show’s appeal; she was famous in Britain long before it came along. Having starred in her first television show in the 1970s, she became a staple of culinary television and has written more than 70 cookbooks. Recently, the show has taken on a role beyond entertainment. Last year, With three of its four hosts out, “The Great British Bake Off” that is moving to Channel 4 will not be the same show that has been gathering millions of viewers each week. Other popular shows have struggled after major changes in the cast. Last year, the BBC Ms. Berry will continue to appear on other BBC programs. “I can’t wait to cook up more unmissable shows with her in the future,” said Charlotte Moore, controller of BBC One, the BBC’s flagship television channel.