Nigella Lawson has admitted that she was hesitant to take up the mantle of new judge on The Great British Bake Off – because she didn’t feel worthy of it.
The wholesome Channel 4 favourite announced last year that bestselling author and internationally renowned chef Nigella taking over from Prue Leith in the iconic Bake Off tent, joining Paul Hollywood as judge.
But with such big shoes to fill, Nigella confessed that, while it was an easy decision to say yes, she was uncertain she would be able to rise to the challenge.
Speaking to RadioTimes and other press ahead of the series launch, Nigella said: “I actually did worry that I didn’t deserve the honour to be honest, and I did speak to Paul. Paul and I met up and we chatted.
“‘You know what kind of baker I am!’ I love baking, and I’m a bit more ramshackle than Paul, but that’s good to have all kinds of baking represented.
“But I just wanted to make sure because I… you know I did feel a bit, you know… I was following two very eminent ladies, and I wanted to make sure that I felt I could do it.”
While Hollywood has remained on the series throughout its 17-year run, Lawson is the third judge to stand alongside him.
Mary Berry stayed with the series during its early years at the BBC before leaving in 2016.
Leith then took over from 2017, when the series debuted on Channel 4, before announcing last year that, after a nine-year run, she would be stepping down.
Hollywood admitted that he joined “about half the male population” in the excitement when Lawson was confirmed as the new Bake Off judge, declaring his new co-star “a big softie” when it comes to the contestants.
“I haven’t had so many calls from friends to come to the tent to watch Bake Off,” he said.
“I’ve been doing it for 17 years. I haven’t had so many calls in the last six months from friends I haven’t heard of for years!”
The line-up is completed by hosts Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond – both of whom agree that Lawson “slots right in” as part of the team.
“You’re lovely,” Hammond said to Lawson. “You give a lot of advice to the bakers, and they love that. You both do, but I’ve noticed in particular you do give them a lot of love.”
“The way that Nigella words things is very beautiful, and I think that’s very new to the tent,” added Noel. “It’s a great babble, you know. There’s been some very surreal poetic descriptions, which I think is a new thing, isn’t it? And they’re amazing.
“Nigella’s a writer, so they were like a little explosion. I think that you know everyone’s tuned into that, and the bakers are tuned into that, and I feel like they [Nigella and Paul] complement each other really well.”
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The Great British Bake Off returns on Tuesday 22 September at 8pm on Channel 4.
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