The Great British Bake Off 2024: do you need a TV licence to watch final - rules for Channel 4 app

• Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off final is on TV tonight.
• Just three bakers remain in the famous tent.
• Fans planning to tune in are reminded about the rules around the licence fee.

The Great British Bake Off final will be taking over our TV screens tonight. The highly anticipated conclusion of Channel 4’s hit baking show will take place in just a few hours.

Three remaining bakers will battle it out to be crowned the winner - as bookies name the favourite. Fans have also been reminded of the TV schedule for the finale to the 2024 season.

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But if you are planning to tune in to see who is crowned the winner, you need to avoid making a very expensive mistake. Here’s all you need to know:

Do you need a TV licence to watch The Great British Bake Off?

If you are watching it live on your TV, you are likely aware of the fact that you need to pay the licence fee to watch terrestrial television. So if you are planning to watch the Great British Bake Off final live on TV, make sure you have paid the TV licence.

But if you have been watching GBBO on Channel 4’s catch-up service app of the same name, you may not be as familiar with the rules. Fortunately if you have been watching the Bake Off episodes on demand, you don’t need to worry about whether you have paid your licence fee or not.

TV Licensing explains on its website that: “You don’t need a licence if you only ever watch on demand or catch up programmes on services other than BBC iPlayer (and you also never watch TV channels on any TV service, watch live TV on streaming services, or use BBC iPlayer).”

However, if you decide to watch the final live on the Channel 4 app - either on your smart TV, tablet, phone or computer - instead of watching to catch it on demand, then you will need a TV licence. So make sure you are covered if you want to watch the final live.

GBBO fans could face £1,000 fine

If you are caught watching TV - or using a streaming service to watch live television coverage - without paying the licence fee, you could find yourself staring down the barrel of a fine. For now at least, the government is considering scrapping prosecutions for licence fee avoidance - it has been reported.

On its website, TV licensing warns: “You could be prosecuted if we find that you have been watching, recording or downloading programmes illegally. The maximum penalty is a £1,000 fine plus any legal costs and/or compensation you may be ordered to pay.”

If you live in Guernsey, the fine could reach up to £2,000 - but that is only the case for the channel island.

Are you excited for the final of The Great British Bake Off tonight? Share your predictions on who will win by emailing me: [email protected].