Great British Bake Off champ Nadiya Hussain to co-host The Big Family Cooking Showdown with Zoe Ball as BBC declares war on Channel 4 show

THE BBC has declared war on Channel 4’s Great British Bake Off by getting ex-winner Nadiya Hussain to front a rival show.

Popular Nadiya, 32, will co-host The Big Family Cooking Showdown with Zoe Ball.

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It will go directly against Paul Hollywood’s Bake Off.

A TV insider said: “The gloves are off. This is going to be a proper battle.”

BBC bosses reckon that pairing the show’s 2015 champ with TV favourite Zoe will prove a winning formula.

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Nadiya, 32, and Zoe, 46, will co-host the show this autumn on BBC2 directly against Bake Off, despite earlier claims no replacement BBC show would go head-to-head.

A TV insider said: “The Beeb is not going to be beaten by a show they grew from the ground and made into a juggernaut.

“Using Nadiya as the face of what they see as their new smash hit is nothing short of inflammatory.

“There’s no doubt from anyone associated with Bake Off that this is the BBC’s new prime-time cookery show and it’s intending to go toe-to-toe with Paul Hollywood and Co.”

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Nadiya and Zoe will be joined by chefs Rosemary Shrager, 66, and Giorgio Locatelli, 63, who will set challenges to find Britain’s best amateur home cook.

Veteran judge Mary Berry, 81, will not be involved.

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Nadiya said of the competitors: “I know how tough it can get, so I’ll be there for them, alongside Zoe, as the pressure builds.”

The decision to launch a show that rivals the revamped Bake Off is at odds with the views of new BBC chairman David Clementi.

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Asked if he thought it would be wrong to introduce a “copycat” version, he said: “Yes, if it was precisely similar, but I don’t think that’s intended.”

Last year’s Bake Off finale on BBC1 drew 14.8 million viewers before its £75million move to Channel 4.

Last month The Sun revealed that South African chef Prue Leith, 77, will replace Mary and join Hollywood, 51, on Bake Off.

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