'They're not there to bake a cake': Jim Davidson does not approve of Mel & Sue's Generation Game reboot

The Mel and Sue-fronted revival of the Generation Game does not appear to have impressed former host Jim Davidson.  The controversial comic told The Sun that he doesn't think that the pair, who used to host The Great British Bake-Off, are right for his old show, which sees members of a family compete for prizes and spawned catchphrases such as "It's a cuddly toy!"

Davidson took over from Sir Bruce Forsyth in 1995  and fronted the show until its cancellation in 2001. He said that Miranda Hart, who had talks with the show's producers in 2014, was the first choice to present, and that Mel and Sue would struggle to fill Bruce's shoes. 

He said: "They’re not right, they won’t know how to ad-lib. They’re not there to teach them how to bake a f____ing cake."

Davidson claimed he didn't know "these women," although the comedy duo have been television regulars since the mid-Nineties: "I’ve never heard of them but you need someone that’s going to be able to ad-lib and drive the show along."

Referring to the original host of the game show, he said: "That’s why Bruce was so good. He drove it along his way. He was the energy. You can’t remember any of the people on it, all you remember is Bruce."

The new series will air on BBC One this spring, and will consist of two episodes rather than the planned four.