It's not hard to see why The Great British Bake Off has been so successful: Watch one episode and your heart is instantly warmed. Between the supportive judges, British colloquialisms, and endearing contestants, you can't help but root for everyone and get lost in whatever pie, cookie, or tart is being whipped up that week. It's hard to imagine what could be more pure than this beloved cooking show, until you realize there is a KIDS version, too.
Along with the news that The Great British Bake Off will be staying on Channel 4 in the UK through 2021, Deadline announced the return of Junior Bake Off, also set to air on Channel 4. The competition show aired on CBBC for four seasons, the last of which wrapped in November 2016. It followed a similar format with kids ages 7 to 12 competing to make the best cheese scones (I don't know what these are, but I want one!), chocolate chip cookies, sponge cake and more.
There aren't any hard dates set for either show yet, but both seasons are expected to premiere later this year, with Junior Bake Off airing as a 15-part series. P.S.: When season nine of Great British Bake Off aired, it came to Netflix 10 days later, so hopefully the lag time will be equally short for U.S. fans this time around.
The judges for both shows are still up in the air, too, but Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith could very well return for season 10. And in my dream world, we'd collect all the heartwarming TV in one place and have Queer Eye's JVN and Antoni come on as hosts of the Junior show. We'll update you when we know more!