BBC One’s ultra-successful, people-get-excited-about-cakes show The Great British Bake-Off isn’t exactly the most rock and roll TV programme in the world. But now it’s been rocked by a £10,000 betting scandal.
The final episode airs tonight, but of course it was actually taped weeks ago. So there’s plenty of BBC staff who already know the winner is going to be. And now, according to The Sun, Ladbrookes have allegedly received 529 bets through 42 suspicious new accounts that supposedly have links to the BBC and the production company behind Bake Off—and if their bets are right, they stand to win around ten grand. Ladbrookes have now launched an investigation.
A source at the bookies told The Sun: “Whoever’s doing this thinks they’re being very clever. But they aren’t that smart as they’ve been using their own names to open accounts. A quick Google and you can see two or three are in TV and have close links to the BBC and GBBO’s production company. Lots of the other accounts appear to be owned by friends and family of the culprits. Placing everything on one baker again and again immediately set off red flags.”
