The Great British Bake Off: Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood 'expected to quit' after Mel and Sue step down

The pair of baking experts has yet to come to an official decision on the matter, however

The last 24 hours in the world of televised baking competitions can best be described as utter, unbridled chaos.

Following news The Great British Bake Off would be moving from its ancestral home (of 7 series) at the BBC to Channel 4, things have been falling apart with lightning speed: from rumours that the BBC fell £10 million short of what makers Love Productions demanded, the swift departure of hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc, and panicked concern as to what would happen to the show in its cross-channel transfer.​

Indeed, Mel and Sue's departure has struck a particular blow for Channel 4's hopes to continue the success of the UK's most-watched programme of 2015, but the pair were adament in their loyalty to the BBC; releasing a statement which noted, "The BBC nurtured the show from its infancy and helped give it its distinctive warmth and charm, growing it from an audience of two million to nearly 15 million at its peak."

It's now expected baking experts Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry may be following in Mel and Sue's foosteps, as a source told The Sun: "Mary and Paul believe the show works because of Mel and Sue. It's always been the four of them together. They are all really close and constantly hang out together in between filming."

"They repeatedly talk about how they are a family and they both credit the show's success down to Mel and Sue as well as the format," they continued: "Paul is currently in LA and hasn't had a chance to talk to Mary. But they have always said they are in it together."

Indeed, the move isn't proving popular with fans either; a petition to keep Bake Off at the BBC has already racked up over 17,000 signatures.

The current series of The Great British Bake Off airs every Wednesday on BBC One.