Indie co-founder and co-creator of Bake Off is departing after 20 years

Richard McKerrow, the creative heavyweight behind the likes of The Great British Bake Off and The Piano, is to leave Love Productions after 20 years at the helm.  

McKerrow and Love co-founder Anna Beattie are responsible for many of the indie’s hit returners including those two major C4 shows and The Great Pottery Throwdown, plus BBC2’s The Great British Sewing Bee, Famous Rich and Homeless (BBC1) and BBC3 shows Britain’s Missing Top Model, Young Mums Mansion and The Baby Borrowers.  

Richard McKerrow

Richard McKerrow

The Love management team of managing director Letty Kavanagh, creative director Kieran Smith and executive editor Simon Evans, will continue to lead the company, having joined it in 2008. 

McKerrow is chief creative officer and chief executive at Love and has overseen the expansion of its formats in the UK and in the US, the most recent being The Piano. He will continue to deliver the forthcoming third current series for C4. 

He said: “Twenty years after setting up Love Productions with Anna Beattie, I will be leaving the company to pursue a new creative venture and new challenges. 

“We are both tremendously proud of the shows we created together, and of the incredible team at Love who have been with us most of the way.  Love has a unique company culture stemming from all the people there who really make it what it is and I’m extremely grateful that I leave with the company in such great shape.” 

Kavanagh said: “Richard has been one of the most inspiring people I have had the pleasure to work with.  Love Productions was founded on his and Anna’s infectious creativity.

“It’s been a privilege to be part of the company for so many years. We will continue to embrace the creative risk they inspired throughout our very many years working together.” 

A majority share of the London and Bristol-based company was sold to Sky Studios in 2014.