Pete its nothing to do with being told what to do.
It really doesn't matter. TG is one of those shows that people will complain about, it doesn't really matter who fronts it, who backs it, or what happens on screen, people will complain.
Even if the show changes and becomes what you personally like, there's going to be a large group of people who will complain about it.
The popular press just wants to hound it into the ground, no matter how the show is formatted. They'll complain about it while it's running and then howl "failure" if it's cancelled and then find someone to blame for it all (of course, the popular press are never responsible for swaying public opinion in any way).
As always, controversy is what sells papers and what feeds click-baiting onto advertisement-filled web-pages. The more popular something is, the more revenue that sensationalist articles can attract.
The bake-off is safe because no one's going to slate Mary Berry.
Yes, you have your own opinion regarding TG, and I have mine.
If you don't like it, then no one is forcing you to watch it. Same goes for most things.