The final episode of The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer will not be shown on Channel 4. This is following allegations made against Scott Mills, who appears in the show.
“Having carefully considered the circumstances, we’ve taken the decision not to air the final episode of the 2026 series,” said a Channel 4 spokesperson. They added that “acknowledging the seriousness of the accusations,” airing it would not be appropriate at this time. An alternative episode of the show will be broadcast instead.
The pulled instalment reportedly also featured singer Rag’n’Bone Man, JLS member Aston Merrygold, broadcaster Edith Bowman, and comedian Jon Richardson. It was originally scheduled to air on April 18. It currently remains unclear whether those contestants will get another chance to appear.
Why the Episode Was Removed
The fallout traces back to Mills’ sudden departure from the BBC. The BBC initially said he was let go over “personal conduct.” But it soon transpired that Mills was questioned by police over historical allegations, dating from 1997 to 2000. The allegations were for “serious sexual offences” against a boy who was under the age of 16 at the time. The Met confirmed the investigation started in 2016, that the BBC were informed in 2017, and that the Crown Prosecution Service ultimately dropped it in 2019. It dropped because the findings did not meet the evidential threshold required to bring charges.
The BBC confirmed it was aware of the investigation in 2017, but did not know about the age of the alleged victim until it received “new information” in recent weeks. The corporation terminated his contracts on March 27, just days after taking him off air.
Mills broke his silence
Mills broke his silence shortly after. Via a statement issued through his legal team, he confirmed the investigation related to him. He said, “An allegation was made against me in 2016 of a historic sexual offence which was the subject of a police investigation in which I fully cooperated and responded to in 2018.” He added that the Crown Prosecution Service “determined that the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges.”
The consequences have spread far beyond Bake Off. Following his sacking, Mills stepped back from his role as an ambassador for MS Society UK, while children’s cancer charity Neuroblastoma UK decided to “part ways” with him, having been a patron since 2021. He has also been dropped as host of the BBC’s new Race Across the World spin-off podcast.
The Celebrity Great British Bake Off format features four new contestants per episode, meaning Channel 4 can substitute individual instalments rather than scrapping an entire series run. That flexibility likely made the decision easier.
Still, for the other contestants caught up in the pulled episode, there are no confirmed plans yet.
