‘Toseehow
muchtheshow
hasgrownhas
beenincredible’
Hosts Noel Fielding and Sandi
Toksvig with Paul and Prueevery week and get better and
better. They are like sponges.’
He says he never tires of
the viewers getting angry
when they think the wrong
person has been sent home
and he admits it is ‘invariably
him’ who gets the flack.
And, as Prue reveals, their
decision-making can lead to
some very surreal moments
when she is out and about.
‘I remember
when
someone was
telling me in a
supermarket
we had got it
completely
wrong,’ she
chuckles. ‘I said, “It did
look very good, but it didn’t
taste very good.” And she
said, “But no, it was
perfect.” She even said,
“I think it was delicious.”
There was nowhere to go
with this conversation!’
Admitting this year’s
contest will be very
‘closely fought’, Paul
thinks there are a lot more
highs and lows than in
previous years.
He explains, ‘We had
to look at more detail
this year on all the bakes
than we ever have to split
them up. It became, not
difficult, but a bit more
challenging for us to
pinpoint what we were
looking for and why
we were looking for
certain things.
‘But the bakers have also
got better. In the first series,
they didn’t know what they
were getting into. Now they
are more aware of what the
challenges are going to be.’
‘Everyone knows it’s a kind
show,’ adds Prue. ‘They are
not going to be humiliated.
The whole atmosphere in
the tent is to try and make it
possible for the bakers to do
their very best.’
And the
fact the show
is so gentle is
one of the
many reasons
why the
programme
is still so widely regarded 10
years after it first graced our
screens. It is a landmark that
Paul, who stayed with the
show when it moved from
the BBC to C4 while his
fellow stars all quit, is
understandably very proud of.
‘To see how much the
show has grown has been
incredible,’ he says. ‘We
are now getting 12, 13, 14
million viewers. Cottage
industries have begun too.
Whether you are a bloke or a
girl, baking is cool and when
the show starts, you see the
frenzy. It creates an emotion
and focus. It’s a nice,
comfortable way of setting
off the school year.’✿ The Great British Bake
Off returns on Tuesday
27 August at 8pm on C4. WORDS: CHRISTINE SMITH. PHOTOS: C4, TWITTER/PLANET PHOTOSwomansweekly.com 11
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