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'Great British Bake Off' return delayed by Boris Johnson's coronavirus speech

'GBBO' contestants Hermine, Sura, Rowan, Marc, Laura, Linda, Mak, Dave, Loriea, Lottie, Mark and Peter. (Channel 4/Love Productions)
GBBO contestants Hermine, Sura, Rowan, Marc, Laura, Linda, Mak, Dave, Loriea, Lottie, Mark and Peter. (Channel 4/Love Productions)

Great British Bake Off fans will have to wait a little longer for the show's comeback as it's slightly delayed to make way for Boris Johnson's coronavirus address.

It comes as the programme is launching its 11th series later in the year than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The prime minister will be making an announcement from 8pm on Tuesday, where it is expected he will be outlining new restrictions.

Read more: Great British Bake Off’s biggest controversies

Channel 4 is set to broadcast the speech, meaning GBBO will air at 8.15pm on Tuesday instead of the originally scheduled 8pm.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives back at 10 Downing Street, Westminster, London after appearing before MPs at the House of Commons to set out steps to tackle a second wave of coronavirus following the stark assessment from Sir Patrick Vallance and England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty. (Photo by Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images)
Prime minister Boris Johnson arrives back at Downing Street after addressing the House of Commons. (PA Images via Getty Images)

Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford and Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon were both due to speak after Johnson in Wales and Scotland, respectively.

There were doubts as to whether GBBO would go ahead this year due to social distancing measures, but Channel 4 and the programme's makers Love Productions managed to make it happen through major production changes.

The cast and crew went into isolation for several weeks and took multiple COVID-19 tests before being able to enter the "self-contained biosphere" and were not permitted to return home.

The Bake Off judges and presenters. (Channel 4/Love Productions)
The GBBO judges and presenters. (Channel 4/Love Productions)

They were put up at a hotel with the famous big white tent erected in the grounds.

While the show is typically shot in the spring with contestants filming an episode over a weekend, shooting was condensed into six weeks.

Read more: Matt Lucas says Bake Off filming schedule was hard on contestants

Bakers worked on a two days on-two days off schedule, practicing the upcoming challenges on their days off.

The 11th series will also see the debut of Matt Lucas as a presenter after Sandi Toksvig bowed out earlier in the year.

Watch: GBBO’s long-awaited return teased in trailer