EXCLUSIVE: In an op-ed during the Edinburgh TV Festival this week, Sky’s content chief Cecile Frot-Coutaz extolled the virtues of UK public service broadcasting as the Comcast-owned company finalizes its takeover of ITV. “Our ambition is to keep investing in brilliant British storytelling for generations to come,” she intoned in Broadcast.

But away from the polished words, Sky has been accused of imperilling one of the UK’s biggest public service broadcasting success stories: The Great British Bake Off. In a battle at odds with Bake Off’s wholesome charm, Sky and Frot-Coutaz find themselves defending furious complaints from producers central to the success of Channel 4’s cooking series. Producers who dedicated much of their careers to Love Productions, the respected company wholly acquired by Sky in 2020.

To say this situation is unusual is an understatement. In the polite world of British television, it is vanishingly rare for producers to go on record with their grievances against powerful networks and their executives, let alone sue them. But such is the strength of feeling, former Love managing director Letty Kavanagh has launched twin lawsuits against Sky for wrongful dismissal and unpaid severance, as revealed by Deadline this month. Two others have complained to Sky citing similar concerns: Kieran Smith, Bake Off’s former executive producer, and a third unnamed individual, who remains employed by Love. 

Deadline has reviewed Kavanagh’s legal filings and spoken to people familiar with the dispute to understand how relations curdled. After an 18-year career at Love, Kavanagh claims she was fired for complaining that Sky’s bid to poach Bake Off from Channel 4 in 2025 was improper, mismanaged, and damaged relations with a key customer. She believes her experience shows that Sky does not have the best interests of public service broadcasting in its DNA. In other words, it serves as an unhappy harbinger for ITV ahead of its £1.6 billion ($2.2B) sale. 

Sky strongly rejects allegations of impropriety and mismanagement, and has said it will robustly defend its position during the legal proceedings. Sky insiders attribute the Bake Off battle to differences of opinion about the show’s future, which led to a breakdown in professional relations that has nothing to do with its proposed ITV takeover. Gibson Dunn, an external law firm, investigated and dismissed Love’s complaints. Sky can also point to the irrefutable outcome of the Bake Off disagreement: That the show stayed free-to-air on Channel 4 and remains in rude health.

Project Rise

Love Productions founders Richard McKerrow and Anna Beattie built a culture that valued creative independence, meaning relations with Sky were not always straightforward. There has long been a feeling in Osterley that Love bosses struggled to come to terms with surrendering their ownership to Sky in 2020. Low-level disquiet erupted into open hostilities in early 2025, when Frot-Coutaz launched Project Rise, the codename for Sky’s efforts to snaffle Bake Off from Channel 4. 

Channel 4 has been home to Bake Off (known as The Great British Baking Show on Netflix) since acquiring the series from the BBC in 2016. Love executives wanted to maintain the status quo. Indeed, Kavanagh, with the blessing of Sky, had in 2024 negotiated terms for a new Channel 4 contract, including an output deal that would have enabled Love to create new shows for the network. 

So when Sky said it wanted to explore switching Bake Off, it went down like a sunken soufflé at Love, where producers had serious misgivings about the show fading into irrelevance behind Sky’s paywall. These misgivings were compounded by Sky’s alleged approach to Project Rise.

In her employment tribunal lawsuit, Kavanagh claims that Frot-Coutaz “intermeddled” in Bake Off contract talks with Channel 4 between January 2025 and November 2025, “undermining goodwill” at Love’s most important customer. This is denied by Sky sources, who say it was appropriate for Frot-Coutaz to explore options for Bake Off and that relations with Channel 4 remain in fine fettle.

People close to Kavanagh allege that Frot-Coutaz signalled her intention to take Bake Off, then left Channel 4 in limbo for months, sparking alarm among the broadcaster’s most senior executives, who began preparing for life without their biggest franchise. Channel 4 declined to comment. Meanwhile, Sky had a plan for Bake Off that would involve ditching spin-off series, including the professionals and kids’ versions. Love’s leaders were aghast. “Sky was prepared to make hundreds of people unemployed at the drop of a hat,” recalls one person.

Then Frot-Coutaz suddenly abandoned Project Rise. Love was unclear on the reasons for her volte-face, but speculated that Sky had failed to convince Bake Off stars like Paul Hollywood to make the switch. People close to Kavanagh also allege that senior Sky content executives, including unscripted chief Philip Edgar-Jones, were uncertain that Bake Off was a good fit for the network. Sky does not recognize this characterization of Edgar-Jones’ position.

Sky negotiated Bake Off’s renewal directly with Channel 4 in October 2025, meaning Kavanagh was only told about the deal after it was done. In her lawsuit, she alleges that Sky’s renewal was “materially less advantageous” than the one she negotiated in 2024. Some estimate that it wiped millions of pounds off the value of the contract and potential side deals, such as the U.S. licensing agreement with Netflix. Channel 4 insiders are certainly not unhappy with the outcome.

Kavanagh was furious and repeatedly made her concerns clear to her superiors at Sky. Within days, she was fired and marched out of the building in November 2025. Nine months on, she has filed two UK lawsuits — one in an employment court and a second at the High Court — that chronicle at least four grievances. 

Kavanagh’s Lawsuits

Kavanagh alleges that Sky’s pursuit of Bake Off was a conflict of interest because the broadcaster was privy to contractual arrangements with Channel 4. Sources close to the producer allege that “ethical walls” between Love and Sky’s content team were smashed down in 2024, when Frot-Coutaz’s Sky Studios empire was expanded to include unscripted commissioning. In her employment tribunal filing, Kavanagh alleges that Sky commercial chief Helen Northrop “agreed” that “this was an issue.”

Sky disputes the conflict of interest allegation, arguing that there is no legal basis for the claim because it wholly owned Love and Bake Off. Sky denies that Northrop ever concurred with Kavanagh’s concerns. Senior figures at the pay-TV giant are genuinely perplexed by Kavanagh’s claim, and they argue that taking Bake Off in-house would not have been without precedent. ITV poached The Voice from the BBC soon after ITV Studios acquired Talpa in 2015.

Kavanagh also alleges that Sky imposed changes on Love’s annual accounts to create a flattering financial picture by booking margin on incomplete projects early. Sky refutes the accusation, attributing the changes to updated accounting practices introduced in 2023 at Comcast’s request. Kavanagh further accuses Sky of sex discrimination over the termination of her contract and, in a separate High Court lawsuit, claims she is owed £755,752 ($1 million) in severance payments. Sky denies the accusations and maintains that it has no financial liability to Kavanagh.

Sky says Kavanagh’s concerns about Project Rise and accountancy practices were investigated when she and colleagues made whistleblowing complaints. Gibson Dunn, an external law firm, was engaged to review the allegations. Kavanagh and Kieran Smith were interviewed, and their complaints were not substantiated. They have since questioned the rigour of the investigation, claiming they were not provided with a terms of reference or given access to documents on which they relied. 

Sky stands by the findings. It has since installed new management at Love and then subsequently agreed to sell the company to ITV Studios for £200 million as part of its ITV takeover.

A Sky spokesperson says: “As the sole owner of Love Productions, Sky has every incentive to protect and enhance the value of The Great British Bake Off. We have invested in the show and its long-term future for more than a decade and continue to do so today. 

“As with any long-running programme, when an agreement approaches renewal, it is natural and appropriate to consider the options for its future. The Great British Bake Off continues to be enjoyed by millions of viewers, and Sky agreed a new deal which keeps it on Channel 4 and free-to-air.

“The allegations were subject to a comprehensive investigation by leading external counsel and were not substantiated. We deny the claims against Sky and will vigorously defend our position in the ongoing legal proceedings.”

Where Kavanagh believes she is raising the alarm about a “cutthroat” American culture that’s coming for ITV, Sky sees an effort to embarrass the company into a settlement. Meanwhile, Bake Off returns to Channel 4 for Season 17 next month, welcoming new judge Nigella Lawson to the tent. That this almost did not happen could be a bun fight that goes all the way to court.