Mary Berry is to host a new Christmas special show with James Martin for the Food Network Channel.
The 81-year-old presenter’s first job since ‘The Great British Bake Off’ will see her reunite with the former ‘Saturday Kitchen’ presenter for the new show as the 44-year-old hunk prepares his favourite dishes for guests including Brian Turner and Jennie McAlpine.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "Everyone is waiting to hear which way Mary is going to go with ‘…Bake Off’, whether she’ll make the jump over to Channel 4.
"She’s keeping herself busy in the meantime by helping out James, who is a long time pal. It’s a canny move from Food Network to announce this while is wondering."
Mary will also be co-hosting a ‘…Bake Off’ Christmas special with her co-judge Paul Hollywood, which will feature highlights from the show, which first aired in 2010.
It comes after it was reported Mary and Paul were given a golden handshake of £1million each if they stay on the baking show following its move from BBC to Channel 4.
A source said: "It’s turning into a bitter turf war between rival TV stations – but at this rate it’s the viewers who’ll miss out. Fans just want the series to stay the same as much as possible – that obviously means keeping Paul and Mary at the centre of it. It’s a shame some at the BBC seem to be looking for a way to sabotage that.
"Many of us feel it’s foul play and not the intended function of licence payers’ cash."
The ‘Great British Bake Off’ has been the hot topic of conversation as it was recently announced that it will shift across to Channel 4 after the BBC failed to offer a big enough sum to Love Productions, the makers of the programme, and its rival broadcaster quickly swooped in with a bigger deal.
The BBC offered the company an estimated £15 million per year – double the current contract – in a bid to keep hold of the show, but producers refused to accept offers below £25 million.
Channel 4 quickly waded in with a three-year deal – worth a reported £75 million – after talks between the BBC and Love Productions broke down early last week.
Mary Berry to host Food Network Christmas show
