Classic British TV show The Great British Bake-Off has been translated into a brand-new West End musical. Bake Off the Musical has been in development for the past five years and has recently experienced a sold-out show in Cheltenham.

The leading characters are Phil Hollinghurst and Pam Lee, fun copies of the real-life judges of the show, Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, played by John Owen-Jones and Hadyn Gwynne. The music and script have been written by acclaimed musical duo Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary, and the play will feature 16 original songs.

Prue gave the show her stamp of approval, saying, “I am thrilled to bits that The Great British Bake Off Musical is going to the West End. It is an uplifting, funny, heartfelt story, which will have you singing and dancing out of the theatre with a huge smile. A theatrical sweet treat. Just what we need right now.”

“Paul came to see the show and loved it. He gave me two handshakes after,” John told yahoo! news, referencing the ‘Hollywood Handshake’ that the judge gives out to bakers on the TV show when they produce something he approved of.

While the characters of Phil Hollinghurst and Pam Lee are based loosely on The Great British Bake-Off’s judges, Jake and Pippa have been careful not to make them copies or caricatures of the judges. This is also the case for the rest of the cast—the contestants.

Pippa told yahoo! news, “We wanted this to have real heart, as it’s not a parody—it’s a proper musical.”

At the moment, the show is set to have a 12-week limited run on the West End in the Noël Coward Theatre.

Image: Manuel Harlan