Mary Berry's departure from GBBO means Channel 4 are stuck with just Paul Hollywood - are they regretting their decision yet?

There will surely be plenty of excitement over who are to replace Mary, Mel and Sue. Channel 4 could ask George Osborne if he’d fancy a go; he loves northern powerhouses so would probably get on well with Hollywood

Following the Great British Bake Off's move to Channel 4, Mary Berry (left) has decided to quit the show (PA)

It was as predictable as a sunrise, or the incoming tide (unless you’re Douglas Carswell) yet Mary Berry’s decision to step away from the ‘Great British Bake Off’ has sent shockwaves through the Twittersphere.

Mel Giedroyc, Sue Perkins and now Berry have decided to remain with the BBC and without them, the Bake Off is now an éclair without its crème. The news that Paul Hollywood has signed on for another three years, meanwhile, was met with as much enthusiasm as one might feel for a city break in Baghdad.

It would be easy to lambast the BBC for failing to retain the programme. For not stumping up enough of the license-fee payer’s cash to keep something those license-fee payers actually seem to enjoy watching. Really, though, more ire must be directed at Channel 4. The channel has a reputation for not doing things in an altogether conventional way. That’s what makes it interesting, and the risk-taking is how we’ve ended up with gems like Gogglebox, Dispatches, and Jon Snow’s ties. But the Bake-Off already had the key ingredients that made it so successful: why bother bidding all that money without going to the trouble of securing the cooperation of its beloved presenters?

The people who really lose in this instance are, of course, the viewers. It wasn’t enough that their favourite programme was moved, and faced a change in format. They could probably have just about managed the transition. Now without those three, it really isn’t the same show anymore. They really should have learnt a lesson from another BBC favourite: Top Gear. The BBC might have kept the branding, but without presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, the show flopped.

Of course, it may all turn out for the best. There will surely be plenty of excitement over who are to replace Mary, Mel and Sue. Perhaps Bear Grylls could be drafted in to set baking challenges involving contestants having to find their ingredients, catch them, and kill them. Or now that Ed Balls has paved the way, we could ask George Osborne if he’d fancy a go; he loves northern powerhouses so would probably get on well with Hollywood, and I’m sure it’d be great fun watching him slash the food budget to just seven acorns, some shaving cream and an egg in order to meet ‘The Bake Off’s long-term economic plan’.

It is only a television show, but it’s a national tragedy none the less. It is sad that that for so many people, an enjoyable part of their week has been irreparably vandalised through a thirst for money, and a lack of foresight. Had more preparation gone into the process, the show could have been the icing on Channel 4’s cake.