Prue Leith Reacts To Sandi Toksvig’s Bold Admission About Why She Left Great British Bake Off

Posted on 06/02/2024 by Boris Clair

Prue Leith has responded to Sandi Toksvig’s recent claims about what led to her resigning from the Great British Bake Off.

Both Prue and Sandi were new additions to the Bake Off family when the show made the jump to Channel 4 in 2017, and while the former still remains a judge on the show, the latter stepped down as a presenter after three seasons.

Last month, the QI host made headlines when she claimed that her time on Bake Off came to an end because she “stopped having fun”.

“I was literally standing there watching meringues dry and thinking, ‘Oh my God, my brain is atrophying’,” she claimed.

During an interview on Times Radio on Tuesday, Prue was asked what she thought of Sandi’s comments, to which she admitted they didn’t correspond to her memories of working with the comedian.

“I don’t think Sandi was [that] bored,” Prue said. “She and I shared a wonderful green room in this posh house, which was where we filmed Bake Off, which was in the library.

“And so we had this wonderful selection of books, and she would [knit] little figures. So she made lots of those. She wrote a few scripts. She did a lot of other things.”

Sandi with her former Bake Off colleagues Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith and Noel Fielding

Prue added: “I mean, I can see that for some people as clever as Sandy watching meringue dry is perhaps a bit heavy, but I think she just liked the joke. I don’t think she was really bored.”

Sandi previously told Radio Times: “After three years, I thought, ‘That’ll do, go and do something else!’” I’m in love enough with the business to think, ‘OK, that’s a nice pay cheque, but it doesn’t work for me. I’ll move on and do something else’.”

Back in 2020, long-standing Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood claimed he’d been left “surprised” and “really upset” by Sandi’s exit.

“I’m very fond of Sandi. She was never too busy to sit down, have a chat and put the world to rights. We shared a couple of drinks and had some good times together,” he said at the time.

Sandi was replaced by Matt Lucas, who fronted three seasons before announcing he, too, was leaving. Daytime favourite Alison Hammond then made her debut at the helm of Bake Off last year, and is set to return in 2024.

Americans Are Now Discovering Alison Hammond Thanks To Bake Off – And She’s An Instant Hit

Posted on 02/10/2023 by Boris Clair

As well as airing weekly on Channel 4, Bake Off is also available to watch in the US on Netflix, where the show is known as the Great British Baking Show (apparently, in the States the term “bake off” is a registered trademark of the cake company Pillsbury).

For most Americans watching the show, Bake Off will have been their first introduction to Alison, and we’re pleased to see she’s proved to be just as popular Stateside as she has on her home turf…

Meanwhile, a review on the American entertainment website Decider was similarly full of praise for Alison, hailing her efforts in the first episode of Bake Off as “spectacular”.

“The popular UK presenter not only aced her first time callouts, voice over narrative, and ‘On your marks, get set, bake!’, but her infectious joy rubbed off on everyone in the tent — including Noel Fielding, Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith,” their review read.

“It could just be that Alison Hammond was the missing ingredient in the tent all these years.”

The Great British Bake Off airs on Tuesday nights at 8pm on Channel 4. New episodes are also available to watch in the US every Friday on Netflix.

The Great British Bake Off Is Back This Autumn – Here’s What We Know So Far

Posted on 05/08/2023 by Boris Clair

Yes, it’s technically summertime, but the weather has been feeling distinctly autumnal of late, meaning that our thoughts have started turning towards the next season’s TV schedule.

September means the return of many of our favourite reality shows, from Strictly Come Dancing to the brand new season of The Great British Bake Off.

This time around, there’s been a slight shake up in the Bake Off tent, with a brand new presenter on board following Matt Lucas’ departure at the end of last year.

Here’s what we know so far about season 14 of the Bake Off…

Who will be hosting the new season?

After a stint in the Bake Off tent during the third season of the show’s celebrity spin-off for Stand Up To Cancer, Alison Hammond will be joining Noel Fielding as a GBBO host.

She’ll be taking over from Matt Lucas, who announced he’d be leaving the show back in December in order to focus on other ventures, including writing a new project with his Little Britain co-creator David Walliams.

Alison’s new gig was confirmed earlier this year, when she shared a short video on Instagram, showing her and her new colleagues in cake form. “It’s official!!” she wrote in the caption, adding: “Let’s have it – the cake that is.”

“Alison is much loved, effortlessly funny and the owner of the best laugh in Britain,” Channel 4’s Chief Content Officer Ian Katz said when the news was announced. “She was a huge hit when she appeared on Celebrity Bake Off and we’re thrilled to have her back in the tent.”

We’ve already seen Alison bring the laughs to This Morning (remember when she even managed to make notorious grump Harrison Ford get the giggles?), so we can’t wait to see what she makes of her new role.

Alison Hammond is Bake Off's new co-host — Alison Hammond is Bake Off’s new co-host

And who will be judging?

Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith will be back on the show, providing their expert opinion on the contestants’ bakes and making tough decisions about which amateur baker to eliminate from the competition each week.

It’s Prue’s seventh season on the show, after replacing Mary Berry when the Bake Off jumped ships from the BBC to Channel 4; Paul, meanwhile, has appeared in every season to date.

When will The Great British Bake Off 2023 be on TV?

Channel 4 are yet to confirm an exact start date for the show, but we can certainly make an educated guess based on previous years.

The Bake Off tends to be filmed over the summer, and each 10 episode season usually begins in the middle of September, typically airing on a Tuesday evening. The final then takes place towards the end of November.

As well as watching on the night on Channel 4 (to avoid spoilers, of course) you’ll also be able to catch up on the broadcaster’s streaming site; plus, each series usually airs on Netflix in the US (where it’s known as The Great British Baking Show).

Who will be taking part?

Details of this year’s contestants are under wraps for now, but each season typically features a line-up of 12 skilled bakers of all ages, with different specialisms in the kitchen. Channel 4 tends to release information about new GBBO hopefuls at the start of September, a couple of weeks before the first episode, so keep your eyes peeled.

Is there a trailer for The Great British Bake Off 2023?

Not yet, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated as soon as the first teaser clip drops.

The Stars Of Bake Off As Are Just As Excited About Alison Hammond’s New Role As The Rest Of Us

Posted on 18/03/2023 by Boris Clair

Alison’s new co-stars reacted to the announcement on a video she shared on social media.

Noel, who has hosted the show since it moved to Channel 4 from BBC One in 2018, said: “Congratulations and Welcome to the tent lovely !! We are gonna have an absolute blast together. I can’t wait. I’m buzzing. Two naughty kids together 🙂 x x x.x

“The bakers will love you,” he added.

Judge Prue Leith wrote: “Huge congratulations Alison, you will be magnificent and I can’t wait for your infectious laugh to be ringing through the tent.”

Fellow judge Paul Hollywood said: “See you on the tent. Welcome xx [sic].”

Alison was also flooded with congratulatory messages from other celebrity friends and fans.

Her This Morning co-star Holly Willoughby said: “This is the greatest news babe!!!! Congratulations and save me a slice!!!!”

Alexandra Burke added: “Forever proud of you!!!!!! Congrats darling xx.”

Alison said she was “absolutely thrilled” to be joining the team.

Bake Off was originally hosted by Mel and Sue during its original BBC incarnation, with Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig taking over when the show made the jump to Channel 4.

Sandi stepped down as host in 2019, with Matt taking over as Noel’s co-host in 2020.

The Great British Bake Off will return to Channel 4 in the autumn.

Great British Bake Off Boss Finally Admits What We Were All Thinking About Last Series

Posted on 17/02/2023 by Boris Clair

It’s fair to say that the latest series of the Great British Bake Off was met with a somewhat lukewarm response from fans of the long-running show.

Many felt the challenges the bakers were tasked with were too intense, and even the finalists were left struggling to do their best work in the last episode of the series.

Then, of course, there was all that controversy around Bake Off’s first ever “Mexican week” which some critics – particularly overseas – had a few issues with.

Well, it seems even the show’s boss agreed they missed the mark last year.

Bake Off winner Syabira Yusoff with judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith

Richard McKerrow, the chief executive of production company Love Productions, told The Media Podcast: “I’d be the first to hold up our hands and say that I feel that the last series was not our strongest.”

He continued: “You’ve got to take a look at it and go, ‘Shit, [are] the challenges too complicated?’ We’re looking very, very, very hard at making sure that it’s as good a series as it can be.

“You have to take very, very, very good care of it. So when people are criticising either the challenges have become too complicated or whatever, you know, that’s something we take seriously.”

This year’s series will see a new host joining Noel Fielding in the tent, after Matt Lucas announced last year that he was stepping down as co-host after three series.

The presenting and judging team of Bake Off pictured in 2021

Richard also revealed that Matt’s successor would be announced within a “few weeks”, with production on the next run getting underway in April.

“We are getting there. And I think well, given that we have to start filming in April, I would hope that we will have some news for you within the next few weeks,” he said.

“The most important thing is to find someone who realises that the real heart of Bake Off is – love the bakers, love the baking. Someone who’s curious and someone who cares and understands.”

A new series of Channel 4’s celebrity version of the Great British Bake Off is set to hit our screens next month.

Reality veteran Gemma Collins, Olympic diver Tom Daley, Loose Women panellist Judi Love and Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson will all be taking part, along with Friends legend David Schwimmer.

Check out the full line-up here.

Prue Leith Addresses Response To ‘Traumatic’ Kitten Drowning Admission From Memoir

Posted on 12/11/2022 by Boris Clair

Prue Leith has addressed the response to a “traumatic” story in her autobiography, in which she admitted to drowning a litter of kittens as a child on the instructions of her mother.

The Great British Bake Off judge had written of how she was plagued by the memory of her mum forcing her to kill the bag of newborn cats just hours after their birth when she was just 11-years-old.

As a result of her sharing the story, some people called for Prue to be removed as a judge from Bake Off, with her now revealing how the criticism affected her in an interview with People.

Sharing that she felt like “public enemy No.1”, Prue said: “They don’t read the story and they feed off each other. Somebody says, ‘My God! That woman drowns kittens!’ And it just spiralled from there.

“I can’t bear the thought that people on Twitter really think that I would want to drown kittens.”

She continued: “It was so awful because people were saying things like, ‘I’ll never watch Bake Off again.’ I mean, what’s it got to do with Bake Off? Bake Off is the kindest, most inclusive, most friendly show in the world. They wouldn’t have me on if they thought I was a kitten drowner.”

Prue had written in her memoir I’ll Try Anything Once: “My mother and I, then 11, had just drowned some kittens… and for weeks I imagined those poor dead creatures.

“Too many kittens was a frequent occurrence and there had come a day when my mother, unable to find homes for yet another litter, decided to drown the latest batch.”

Prue said she tried to persuade her mother against it, but her protests “were met with a firm, ‘Darling, it has to be done. They are only a few hours old. They will hardly know it’s happening’”.

Despite her mother’s assurances, the TV personality said the kittens “fought like the devil for life”.

Prue has been a judge on Bake Off since 2017

Prue previously explained to HuffPost why she decided to include this story in her new memoir.

“This happened in the early 1940′s, when I was 11 years old, being brought up on a farm in South Africa,” she wrote in an emailed statement.

“I wrote about it honestly in my book, as an 11 year old it was an extremely traumatic experience, not one I would forget, however it is what happened 70 years ago.”

She also advocated neutering and spaying pets.

“Thankfully today in the UK we have the choice of neutering our cats and have more options to home kittens, although sadly in some parts of the world it is still an issue.”

Paul Hollywood Admits Fame Has Turned Him Into A ‘Hermit’: ‘I Don’t Trust People Anymore’

Posted on 28/05/2022 by Boris Clair

Paul Hollywood has opened up about the impact of fame on his personal life, admitting he now finds it difficult to trust other people.

The Great British Bake Off star is the only member of the current cast to have appeared in every series, as well as crossing the pond to judge various American versions of the show.

As a result of this, he’s arguably become Bake Off’s most recognisable figure, though he has admitted this has come with its setbacks.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Times (£), Paul admitted he had issues with paparazzi photographers coming to his home – even during lockdown.

“The paps didn’t care about the rules – they still came to my house,” he said. “They waited on the drive till I took the bins out and then it was, ‘Oi, Hollywood, you c***!’ or, ‘You Scouse t***!’. They need you to look up. What they really want is to get the angry shot. Well, I wouldn’t give it to them.

“And one time I caught the abuse on my doorbell camera and gave it to the police. They told the photographer if he came back he’d be arrested.”

When Bake Off made the jump from the BBC to Channel 4, Paul was famously the only member of the on-screen team to stay with the show, with reports in the press claiming his salary had been bumped up as a result of the move.

Paul with Bake Off co-stars Prue Leith, Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding

“I was called every name under the sun,” he recalled of that period. “It was so horrendous, I actually cried. No one wants to be painted as the pantomime villain, especially when I was just sticking with a job I loved. But you can’t kick against it.

“David Walliams actually took me aside and said, ‘Mate, it’s just a game. Enjoy it.’ You’re clickbait, basically. But it hurt me. After a while, though, I got tough. I just thought, ‘OK, I’ll be your bad guy’.”

On how fame has affected him, he continued: “I don’t trust people anymore. I’m really wary of who gets close and I never used to be like that. In fact, I’m a hermit, whereas I used to be the life and soul of the party.

“I was always first down the bowling alley. But now quite often someone suggests going out and I’ll say, ‘Yeah, I’ll be there,’ and I don’t go.”

Paul added: “There is no school that tells you how to deal with being in the public eye. And however much you think you’re not going to change, it’s impossible to stay the same. I defy anyone to do it.”

Paul in the Bake Off tent during a previous Christmas special

Earlier this year, Paul was back in action with his fellow judge Prue Leith for the latest edition of the celebrity version of Bake Off.

The duo will be joined by Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding when the long-running reality show returns to Channel 4 for its baker’s dozen 13th season later in the year.

Read Paul Hollywood’s full interview in The Times (£) here.

‘Pity I’m Not The One Who Gives Out Handshakes’: Prue Leith Is All Of Us

Posted on 17/11/2021 by Boris Clair

Warning: this article contains spoilers for the GBBO 2021 semi-final.

It was a heart-wrenching moment when Jürgen Krauss, possibly the best-loved contestant in Great British Bake Off history, presented his semi-final signature bake to the judges.

Paul Hollywood declared “I like it, but I don’t love it” and declined to give Jürgen one of his famed “Hollywood handshakes”, when the other three contestants each received one.

Jürgen looked towards Prue for redemption and thankfully, she loved the bake. But alas, it seems her opinion wasn’t enough.

“It’s a pity I’m not the one who gives out handshakes,” lamented Prue – while women watching the TV screamed in unison: “Why not!?”

Paul’s handshakes started as a bit of fun, where, back in the Mary Berry days of season three, he whipped out his palm to congratulate contestant Ryan Chong for some stellar sweet dough.

But the shakes have since morphed into something so much more – a symbol of success that’s almost as coveted as the “star baker” title.

In what was a close-knit episode – with the contestants almost impossible to separate – many on social media have speculated that Paul’s lack of handshake was the final nail in the coffin for Jürgen, who was voted off ahead of the final.

Women have also questiond why Paul’s handshake holds so much power – and suggested it’s just another example of a man’s opinion being held in higher esteem than a woman’s.

When are we going to stop pretending Prue doesn’t have more experience in her little finger than her male co-star & end this handshake nonsense? #GBBO

— Charlotte Ledger (@girl_on_a_ledge) November 16, 2021

Prue saying “pity I’m not the one giving out handshakes” makes me wonder if the producers are content with normalising and reinforcing gendered divisions & (toxic) masculine dominance in professional cooking spaces…#GBBO

— Helen Rooney (@wandher_lust) November 16, 2021

I’m not clutching at straws here. There’s a definite division between the male and female presenter here (e.g. the notion of a “harsh” male judge and a “sweeter, kinder” female judge).

Why can’t Prue give out handshakes or the equivalent? Why would that not be as meaningful?

— Helen Rooney (@wandher_lust) November 16, 2021

This is patriarchy at its worst. Piss off Paul! Women’s handshakes count just as much as men’s and Prue has far more experience than Paul. NOT happy! #justiceforjurgen #GBBO

— Chloe Delaney (@drchloe_2000) November 16, 2021

Woken up still angry about Bake Off. If ever there was a time for a “Shantay, you all stay” moment.

Also, why do Paul’s handshakes hold more weight than Prue’s opinions? She should have elbowed him out of the way and offered Juergen a fist bump or a hair ruffle or something.

— Lisa Holdsworth (@WorksWithWords) November 17, 2021

Beware of the Paul Handshake in your workplace. It’s where a man who is technically equal to a woman invents his own award system, and over time giving out and holding back the award subtly manoeuvres himself into a position of more authority. Flans look nice though!!🎂 🍰 🧁

— Liz Kingsman (@lizkingsman) November 16, 2021

It’s absurd that a “Hollywood Handshake” is the pinnacle of baking success. His opinion is not worth more than Prue’s (nor Mary before her). #GBBO

— Hayley Still (@Hayley_Still) November 16, 2021

i need prue to create her own handshake because it’s upsetting seeing people fight for a man’s acceptance like this ✊🏻😔 #GBBO

— hannah (@hannachoes) November 16, 2021

I’ve never watched bake off before so this is my first series but that handshake thing is very very weird! Why did that ridiculous woman nearly collapse because a man shook her hand? Is Prue’s opinion irrelevant? It was a bit embarrassing! Has equality reversed 50 years. 😝

— Marianne (@cherriesinapie) November 16, 2021

Of course, we mustn’t forget that this is a light-hearted baking show, and the contestants clearly do adore being recognised for their hard work with Hollywood’s extended hand.

Still, the unequal power dynamic between Paul and Prue is increasingly hard to ignore – and reminds us of every time an experienced woman has been overlooked in the workplace in favour of a confident man.

We’d like to petition for Prue to have her own handshake – the ‘Prue Pat’, as some on social media have called it. Or, as others have suggested, she could bestow her signature necklace on successful bakers like a medal, instead.

Now, that’s a prize we’d truly appreciate.

It’s A Sin Stars To Reunite For Great British Bake Off Christmas Special

Posted on 11/11/2021 by Boris Clair

It’s been announced that four members of the much-loved Channel 4 drama will be coming together to compete in a one-off special of the Great British Bake Off.

It’s A Sin aired on Channel 4 at the beginning of this year and quickly won huge praise from both viewers and critics for its depiction of a group of young friends affected by the AIDS crisis in the early 1990s.

An airdate for the It’s A Sin/Bake Off crossover is yet to be confirmed, with a second Bake Off special featuring former contestants also set to air over the Christmas period.

Returning to the tent for a string of festive challenges will be Kim-Joy and Jon from season nine, and Hermine and Rowan, both of whom previously competed on last year’s series.

The current series of the Great British Bake Off is airing on Tuesdays at 8pm on Channel 4.

Great British Bake Off Unveils Star-Studded Line-Up For New Celebrity Series

Posted on 29/01/2021 by Boris Clair

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