Mel Giedroyc confirmed as host of BBC Pitch Battle

(Image credit: WireImage)

published 8 May 2017

Fans of the Great British Bake Off will be overjoyed to learn that a new talent programme will be hitting our screens soon, and hosted by none other than GBBO's Mel Giedroyc.

Ever since announcing her departure from Bake Off with co-host Sue Perkins, following the revelation that the show's format had been bought by Channel 4, we've had a definite Mel-and-Sue-shaped hole in our weekly viewing timetable. So that Mel will be back hosting an equally fabulous reality talent show this year really is great news!

Pitch Battle was first announced last year and was inspired by the smash-hit movie Pitch Perfect, featuring Rebel Wilson and Anna Kendrick.

Teams of singers will compete, covering musical genres spanning rock, classic, gospel and folk, with Pitch Perfect-inspired 'riff-off's', solo and A Capella challenges to boot. The show will play out over six weeks, with spectacular finale crowing Britain's best music troupe, and lead BBC entertainment commissioner, Kate Phillips, promises that it would have 'shed loads of sass and spirit'.

Will Young is amongst a panel of rotating judges also set to work on the show

Judging the show each week will be leading choral master Gareth Malone, whose own talent programme The Choir: Boys Don't Sing won a BAFTA award in 2009, and US mega star Kelis, who says that it's 'kind of nice when things come full circle. I started singing in the choir as a child so it’s always been something special to me. Now here I am 20 years later as a judge on Pitch Battle.'

We'll also recognise some other famous faces as a rotating panel of guest judges join Gareth and Kelis each week.

Will Young, Seal, Joe Jonas and 80's RnB legend Chaka Khan will all feature on the programme, which is due to debut this summer on BBC One.

Mel herself said of the exciting announcement: 'I am soooo excited to be presenting this new show and PB will definitely be bringing some cracking music into people's living rooms every Saturday!'

'Not only are we going to be joined by some brilliant groups and megastar judges each week but to top it all off my old mucker the original twisted choir starter Gareth Malone will be there too. What a combo!'

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