One of the BBC’s best known TV chefs has announced that her cookery show has been cancelled by the broadcaster.
Nadiya Hussain – a former champion on popular TV baking competition The Great British Bake Off – has made several series for the BBC, including Nadiya Bakes, Nadiya’s Fast Flavours and Nadiya’s Simple Spices.
However, the presenter took to Instagram Thursday to announce:
“The BBC have decided that they didn’t want to commission a show. And for me, that was a huge turning point because it’s something I’ve done for the past 10 years.
“I was already on this steady trajectory of change and I was thinking about where I wanted my career to go, and when the BBC decided they didn’t want to commission the show anymore, it really did kind of solidify everything for me, and it made me dig my heels in and think ‘OK, I know where I want to be’.”
BBC News website quotes a spokesperson for the broadcaster confirming: “After several wonderful series we have made the difficult decision not to commission another cookery show with Nadiya Hussain at the moment.”
The statement continued: “Nadiya remains a much-valued part of the BBC family, and we look forward to working together on future projects.”
Hussain’s other series for the BBC have included Nadiya’s Everyday Baking and Nadiya’s Cook Once Eat Twice, as well as the documentary Nadiya: Anxiety and Me.
Since her victory on The Great British Bake Off in 2015, Hussain has become one of the UK’s most familiar cooking figures, including baking a cake to celebrate HM The Queen’s 90th birthday, and writing books alongside her TV work.
In the video she posted where she outlined difficulties of being a Muslim woman on screen, Hussain said she was moving in a “positive direction”, adding: “I’m working on some new things, but for me it’s about being my most authentic self, and working with people who believe my voice has a platform, and believing in my talent.”
