What To Know
- Nigella Lawson shared what she thinks sets The Great British Baking Show apart from other baking competition shows.
- Lawson will replace Prue Leith’s role as Paul Hollywood’s co-judge on the show’s upcoming season later this year.
- Lawson teased her judging style, while Hollywood weighed in on her casting.
For Nigella Lawson, The Great British Baking Show (a.k.a. The Great British Bake Off) is a Star Baker series compared to other baking competition shows.
Lawson will officially take over for Prue Leith as Paul Hollywood‘s co-judge when the beloved U.K. series returns later this year. “I’m looking forward to being part of the gang. I’m so excited, [but] I’m daunted,” she said of the role at a recent Channel 4 event, per the Radio Times. “I bake a lot and I’ve written a lot about baking, but I’m a ramshackle kind of a baker… I’m going to be thinking, ‘My God, why am I judging them?’”
The show is known for being a wholesome series. Still, Lawson said she has discovered why it “appeals to people in another deep emotional way.” She explained, “It’s not just watching for entertainment, although of course there is that – for many people, especially more recently, there’s a breakdown of a sense of community and connection between people and I think that Bake Off really celebrates that.”
Lawson noted that, unlike other baking competition programs, The Great British Baking Show is about “creative collaboration” and support among the bakers. “There isn’t that terrible bullying that goes in certain competitive programmes – the thing is, I’m not meaning any in particular, because it’s all of them,” she stated. “To me, that is incredibly important – it’s important for making viewers feel cosy and safe and part of something. It’s good to have an example of that, because it becomes increasingly rare.”
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At the Channel 4 event, Lawson also teased how her judging style will compare to Hollywood, Leith, and former judge Mary Berry. “You should always find what’s good about something, that you can genuinely be enthusiastic about, and then you can talk about things which maybe you think need to be worked on,” she stated in a conversation with Hollywood.
“It’s a very unproductive way of being a critic, to make people feel diminished – that never helps in life,” Lawson continued. “It is really about encouragement – and looking for delight, because that’s what we need in our lives. I will have a problem standing back, because I have a terrible habit of nudging and interfering.”
Hollywood sang Lawson’s praises at the event, stating that “she knows what she’s talking about.” Lawson has built a career as a prominent TV personality and author, having hosted several cooking shows and released multiple cookbooks.
“It comes down to knowledge – both Mary and Prue have amazing taste-buds and a huge depth of knowledge of what they’re talking about, and Nigella exactly the same, comes from the same mould,” Hollywood said, per the outlet. “It comes down to bringing your knowledge and also your warmth – both Mary and Prue brought their warmth and I’m sure Nigella’s going to do exactly the same, to make the bakers feel at ease.”
Shortly after news of Lawson’s casting was announced last month, Leith gave her replacement her stamp of approval. “I was so hoping it would be Nigella! Brilliant choice 🙌,” she commented underneath Lawson’s casting announcement on the show’s Instagram page.
In a comment of her own, Lawson wrote, “Thank you, thank you, thank you — I can’t wait to enter the Tent of Dreams!”
The Great British Baking Show, Streaming Now, Netflix
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
