'Irony' of Great British Bake Off key to its success

The final of Great British Bake Off 2013 is broadcast on Tuesday with viewing figures expected to be as high as eight million people.

The Bake Off franchise is now an international hit - there are more than a dozen versions around the world.

TV critic India Ross told the Today programme: "I think the lightness and irony of the programme is what makes it export so well abroad."

Martha Kearney who competed herself in the Comic Relief version of the show, said: "This is a feel-good programme... One of the key things about baking is that it's full of the spirit of generosity."

First broadcast on the Today programme on Tuesday 22 October.