There was much excitement among Great British Bake Off viewers when Nigella Lawson was announced as the new judge, with many wondering what her dynamic with Paul Hollywood would be. Unverified reports have pointed to alleged tension behind the scenes since Lawson took over from Dame Prue Leith as a judge on the Channel 4 show, following the 86-year-old's announcement in January that she would be stepping down. But Lawson, 66, said she isn’t fussed about these assumptions when predicting how fans will perceive the new series airs.
In an interview with The Times, she said: “What will people say of us on the programme? I feel that half will go, ‘Oh, there’s clearly something going on with them,’ and the other half will say, ‘Oh, clearly they don’t like each other at all.’ And I feel like that’s fine.” At the launch of the new series, which took place in London on Monday (7 September), Hollywood praised Lawson, telling journalists that she “fitted in beautifully”, with Lawson adding: “It’s such a lovely atmosphere, and the four of us get on very well,” in reference to Hollywood and the show’s hosts Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding. Hollywood, who referred to Lawson as a “queen”, revealed that he met with Lawson ahead of filming to “warm up”, so that “by the time the main series started, it just felt quite natural”.
The TV star added: “It does feel like we’d all been working together for years.” Channel 4 denied any suggestions of a feud between the pair after a MailOnline report claimed Lawson was left frustrated by Hollywood, who allegedly travelled to the show’s set via his helicopter. According to Deadline, Channel 4’s director of content strategy Kiran Nataraja poked fun at the claim during an interview at the Edinburgh TV Festival last month, stating: “Nigella and Paul are not arguing about helicopters the whole time.” New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Lawson previously said it’s been “a treat” to film something surrounded by people, as opposed to her BBC specials, which she mostly shoots online. For me, it’s a sort of treat.
I love solitude, I need solitude, but it’s really good to have a working life that feels companionable.” She said that she is judging contestants based on the taste of their bakes, while Hollywood is “Like the Terminator when he walks into a room and spots the middle layer is half a millimetre shorter than others”. Lawson also rallied against the suggestion that she intentionally uses sexual innuendos, and is actually “embarrassed” by the firestorm her comments cause, stating: “I don’t get it. But it always looks a bit pathetic to go, ‘I don’t know.’ I mean, sometimes I’m aware just afterwards that there is something.
I have, in the course of filming, sometimes said something and there is sniggering, and I just look amazed.” Hammond and Fielding are back as hosts of the show, and Channel 4 has unveiled the 12 contestants who’ll be stepping into the tent. The new series airs on Channel 4 from 22 September. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
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