Hilton acknowledged that producers “might have done brilliantly to snag Nigella, and it will undoubtedly lead to an uptick in viewers”.
“But they’ve applied her prodigious charms too thinly, and even she – with her preference for all things ‘sumptuous’ – can’t stop the feeling that the show has gone more than a little stale.”
Several critics noted that Lawson did not deliver as much innuendo as expected during her debut in the tent.
“Add Nigella – famous for her on-screen coquettish eyelash-fluttering and cheeky language choices – into the mix, and you’d imagine the sauciness gets dialled up to 11,” said the Radio Times’s Jane Rackham, external.
“Instead, she’s cut back on the sauce. She makes well-informed and helpful comments about the amateur bakers’ efforts.”
Digital Spy’s Janet A Leigh agreed, external, noting: “As is the nature of Bake Off, there were many opportunities for Nigella to engage with the playful, flirtatious nature that has underpinned the show since its inception. Yet every opportunity was gently rebuffed.”
Instead, she said, Lawson “has a way of talking about food that celebrates it and expands the audience’s understanding of flavours without seeming pretentious”.
“If episode one is just a flavour of what to expect from Nigella, then it is hugely encouraging. She cares deeply, steers wisely, and slots effortlessly into the close-knit team.”
