Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc poked fun at The Great British Bake Off’s move from the BBC to Channel 4 – and their departure from the show – in a star-studded sketch during the BBC’s Children In Need Live Appeal show.

The presenters took on the roles of a couple of hilariously incompetent BBC switchboard operators as they tried to connect actor Eddie Redmayne to the charity’s mascot Pudsey Bear.

Children In Need
Mary Berry (BBC)

Bake Off stalwart Mary Berry played a part in the skit, repeatedly trying to feed the Oscar-winning actor an over-the-top amount of cakes.

There was also a surprise appearance from Paul Hollywood – the only original Bake Off star to be moving to Channel 4 – as he offered Eddie a Battenberg cake.

Eddie was seen on the set of his new film Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them as he tried to get through to Pudsey.

Children In Need
Paul Hollywood (BBC)

Calling the BBC switchboard, he was put through Mel and Sue, who flustered over the phone system.

Sue asked her co-star: “Any idea how we use this thing?”

Mel replied: “Look, when we went for the interview for this job – after we lost our last one – you said you knew how this all worked.”

Eddie was set on a whirlwind tour of the entertainment world via the phone, as he was mistakenly connected to stars including Simon Cowell, Strictly Come Dancing’s Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman, Lord Sugar and Graham Norton.

US singer Britney Spears played a part in the sketch, picking up the phone to a confused Redmayne and asking: “What’s a Mel and Sue?”

Children In Need
Eddie Redmayne (BBC/Guy Levy)

The actor eventually discovered a small cuddly toy version of Pudsey in his suitcase after his failed telephone quest.

Mary’s appearance in the sketch along with Paul was a source of both delight and confusion for viewers.

One Twitter user wrote: “I genuinely wasn’t expecting Paul Hollywood to pop up.”

Children In Need
Britney Spears (Gary Moyes/BBC)

One viewer suggested that Mary and Paul’s parts in the sketch were “definitely filmed in different rooms” and another asked if Hollywood was added using CGI.

“As if Paul Hollywood has been allowed to appear on the same screen as Mary Berry after what he did,” another fan said.

TV baker Mary and hosts Mel and Sue quit the Bake Off in September when its production company Love Productions sold the show to Channel 4.

Paul revealed he would remain as a judge on the show when it switches channels next year.