GBBO 'exciting' or 'worse than World War 3'? Twitter reacts to Great British Bake Off line-up photo

The first official press photo of the new line-up to feature on Channel 4's iteration of Great British Bake Off has sent Twitter into a divided frenzy.

The new series, which will mark the first since the hugely popular baking show was bought by the self-funded broadcaster for £75m ($93m), will see returning judge Paul Hollywood joined by Prue Leith, Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig.

The recruits will replace the much-loved trio of 82-year-old Mary Berry and double-act side-hosting duo.

While some fans expressed "excitement" at the refreshed show, most users displayed a loyal show of support for the outgoing names.

"…feel like I'd be cheating on Mary by liking anything to do with the new bake off," tweeted Aiden McCafferty.

A number of commenters felt the new photo represented a "parody" of the show, while Damian Mark Whittle posted: "I don't know what terrifies me more: the approach of World War III or the thought of Bake Off without Mel and Sue."

But user Jan Silverman offered a more hopeful outlook, saying: "Can't believe I'm saying this but I think it's a brilliant line up and will actually work in its own Channel 4 kind of way #GBBO".

The arrival of Fielding, a comedian known for his work on The Mighty Bush and Never Mind The Buzzcocks, evoked a particularly strong reaction as fans both adapted and mocked the contrast of his kooky reputation against his older colleagues on the show.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, Noel Fielding is the most beautiful man to exist, an actual dream," said Leona of the 43-year-old, while a poster called Condoginnit made reference to Fielding's prominence in the indie music scene.

"Noel Fielding presents new series of Great British Baked Goth," he quipped.

"#GBBO lineup would be acceptable if it was just Noel Fielding on his own," said another.

Others flatly rejected the revamp: "Channel 4 really don't get what Bake Off's success is all about by trying to recreate it with shaggy haired Mighty Boosh star Noel Fielding," said columnist and broadcaster Carole Malone.

Joe Gray joked: "The GBBO picture literally looks like a family taking their goth son to a village fayre."

Another area of contention was the re-emergence of Haywood, who fans lambasted after he failed to leave the show when it left the BBC, unlike his other colleagues.

Check out a snippet of the reaction below:

https://twitter.com/fxxckoff/status/852873236736081925