Exclusive: In an op-ed during the Edinburgh Television Festival this week, Cécile Fruit-Coutaz, Sky’s head of content, extolled the virtues of the public broadcaster in the UK, as the Comcast-owned company finalizes its acquisition of ITV. “Our ambition is to continue investing in telling great British stories for generations to come,” she said. broadcast.
But beyond the finery, Sky has been accused of jeopardizing one of the UK’s biggest public broadcasting success stories: Great British Bread. In a battle at odds with BakeBecause of its healthy fascination, Sky and Frot-Coutaz find themselves defending angry complaints from producers who were instrumental in the success of the Channel 4 cooking series. Producers who have dedicated much of their careers to Love Productions, the esteemed company wholly acquired by Sky in 2020.
To say that this situation is unusual is an understatement. In the polite world of British television, it is extremely rare for producers to register their complaints against powerful networks and their executives, let alone sue them. But such is the strength of the feeling that Love’s former managing director Letty Kavanagh has filed a dual lawsuit against Sky for unfair dismissal and unpaid dismissal, as Deadline revealed this month. Two others have complained to Sky citing similar concerns: Kieran Smith, BakeLove’s former executive producer, and an unnamed third person, who still works for Love.
Paul Hollywood is the judge on every season of Bake Off.
Deadline reviewed Kavanagh’s legal files and spoke to people familiar with the dispute to understand how relations deteriorated. After 18 years working at Love, Kavanagh claims she was fired for complaining about Sky poaching Bake From Channel 4 in 2025, the matter was inappropriate, poorly managed and damaged relationships with a key client. She believes her experience shows that Sky does not have the best interests of public service broadcasting in its DNA. In other words, this is an unfortunate omen for ITV ahead of its £1.6 billion ($2.2 billion) sale.
Sky strongly rejects the allegations of irregularities and mismanagement, and said it will vigorously defend its position during the legal proceedings. Insiders attribute to the sky Bake A battle of differences of opinion over the future of the show, leading to a breakdown in professional relationships unrelated to the proposed ITV takeover. Gibson Dunn, an outside law firm, investigated and dismissed Love’s complaints. Sky can also refer to the irrefutable conclusion Bake Controversy: The show has remained free on Channel 4 and remains in poor health.
Project rise
Love Productions founders Richard McKerrow and Anna Beattie had built a culture that valued creative independence, which meant that relationships with Sky were not always straightforward. There has long been a sense in Osterley that Love’s bosses are struggling to come to terms with ceding their ownership to Sky in 2020. Low-level concern erupted into open hostilities in early 2025, when Frot-Coutaz launched Project Rise, the code name for Sky’s disruption efforts. Bake From channel 4
Channel 4 was home to Bake (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. In fact, Kavanagh, with Sky’s blessing, in 2024 negotiated the terms of a new contract for Channel 4, including a production deal that would have enabled Love to create new shows for the network.
Cecil Fruit-Cutaz
So when Sky said it wanted to explore the switch Bakefell like a soaked soufflé into Love, with producers having serious doubts about the show fading into irrelevance behind Sky’s paywall. These concerns were exacerbated by Sky’s alleged approach to Project Rise.
In her employment tribunal lawsuit, Kavanagh alleges that Fruit-Cutaz “interfered” with… Bake Contract talks with Channel 4 between January 2025 and November 2025 “undermined the good faith” of Love’s most important clients. This was denied by Sky sources, who said it was appropriate for Frot-Coutaz to explore her options. Bake Relations with Channel 4 are still in good standing.
People close to Kavanagh claim that Froot-Cutaz has indicated her intention to seize her Bakethen left Channel 4 in limbo for several months, alarming the station’s top executives, who began preparing for life without their biggest franchise. Channel 4 declined to comment. Meanwhile, Skye had a plan to Bake This may include eliminating spin-off series, including professional and children’s versions. Love’s leaders were terrified. “Sky was prepared to put hundreds of people out of work at the drop of a hat,” one person recalls.
Then Fruit-Cutaz suddenly abandoned the Rice project. Love wasn’t clear on the reasons for her change of heart, but he speculated that Skye had failed to convince her Bake Stars like Paul Hollywood to make the switch. People close to Kavanagh also claim that senior Sky content executives, including unscripted boss Philip Edgar-Jones, were unsure. Bake It was a good fit for the network. Sky did not recognize this characterization of Edgar-Jones’ position.
Heaven negotiated BakeThe renewal is live with Channel 4 in October 2025, meaning Kavanagh was not told of the deal until after it had been completed. It alleges in its lawsuit that Sky’s renewal was “less materially beneficial” than the one it had negotiated in 2024. Some estimate it wiped out millions of pounds in contract value and potential side deals, such as the US licensing agreement with Netflix. Channel 4 insiders are certainly not happy with the outcome.
Kavanagh was furious and repeatedly made her concerns clear to her bosses at Sky. Within days, she was dismissed and moved out of the building in November 2025. Nine months later, she filed two lawsuits in the UK – one in the Employment Court and the second in the High Court – chronicling at least four grievances.
Kavanagh Lawsuits
Kavanagh claims that Skye’s pursuit of… Bake It was a conflict of interest because the broadcaster was privy to the contractual arrangements with Channel 4. Sources close to the producer claim that “ethical walls” between the Love and Sky content team were broken in 2024, when Frot-Coutaz’s Sky Studios empire was expanded to include unscripted commissioning. In her employment tribunal filing, Kavanagh claims Sky’s commercial chief Helen Northrup “agreed” that “this was a problem”.
Letty Kavanagh
Sky disputes the conflict of interest claim, arguing there is no legal basis for the claim because it is wholly owned by Love and. Bake. Sky denies that Northrop ever agreed to the launch with Kavanagh’s concerns. Senior figures at the pay-TV giant are genuinely baffled by Kavanagh’s claims, and argue that taking… Bake At home it was not without precedent. ITV hardboiled Sound from the BBC shortly after Talpa was acquired by ITV Studios in 2015.
Kavanagh also alleges that Sky forced changes to Love’s annual accounts to create a bright 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 also accuses Sky of gender discrimination over the termination of her contract, and claims, in a separate High Court lawsuit, that she is owed £755,752 ($1 million) in severance payments. Sky denies these accusations and confirms that it bears no financial responsibility towards Kavanagh.
Skye says Kavanagh’s concerns about Project Rise and accounting practices were investigated when she and her colleagues filed whistleblower complaints. An outside law firm called Gibson Dunn was hired to review these allegations. Kavanagh and Kieran Smith were interviewed, but their complaints were not substantiated. They have since questioned the accuracy of the investigation, claiming they were not provided with terms of reference or access to the documents they relied on.
Heaven is on the side of the results. It has since installed new management at Love and subsequently agreed to sell the company to ITV Studios for £200 million as part of its takeover of ITV.
A Sky spokesperson says: “As the sole owner of Love Productions, Sky has every incentive to protect and enhance its value Great British Bread. We have invested in the gallery and its long-term future for more than a decade and continue to do so today.
“As with any long-term programme, when an agreement approaches renewal, it is natural and appropriate to consider options regarding its future. Great British Bread It is still enjoyed by millions of viewers, and Sky has agreed a new deal that keeps it on Channel 4 and broadcasting for free.
“These allegations were subject to a thorough investigation by senior external counsel and have not been substantiated. We deny the allegations against Sky and will vigorously defend our position in the ongoing legal proceedings.”
While Kavanagh believes she is raising the alarm about the “tough” American culture coming to ITV, Sky sees it as an attempt to embarrass the company into compromise. Meanwhile, Bake It returns to Channel 4 for season 17 next month, welcoming new judge Nigella Lawson to the tent. That it almost doesn’t happen could be a cake fight that goes all the way to court.
