Nigella Lawson playfully scolded fellow Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood during a BBC Radio 2 interview, telling him he needed to work on his tone after he praised a former contestant's performance.
The exchange took place as Nigella, 66, and Paul, 60, appeared on Sara Cox's show ahead of biscuit week in the 17th series of the baking competition. Sara, who won a celebrity episode of The Great Stand Up To Cancer Bake Off in 2024, mentioned the victory during the interview.
Exchange on air
Closing out the interview, Sara said: “Already it’s off to a brilliant start Paul congratulations. And thank you for winking at me when my sponge was done on Celebrity Bake Off that I won.”
Nigella responded: “I know I know” before Paul added: “You did well.” At this point Nigella commented, referring to her position as a viewer: “We were all witnesses to your greatness.”
Sara then sought clarity from Paul, appearing via a digital link, about what he had said. She asked: “Did you say I did well there Paul? Not to milk it.”
Nigella's quip
Paul replied: “You did really well. You did. I mean I was quite impressed to be honest Sara.”
Sara then said informally: “Alright don’t sound so surprised,” before Nigella scolded her co-judge: “I know you must work on that Paul, that surprised tone.”
Sara then said to Paul: “Gave me a little wink he did and I appreciated that. Paul, congrats on a great series already; enjoy the rest of the series. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
Judging style differences
This isn’t the first time Nigella has spoken about conversations she and Paul have had on the best way to go about being a judge on the programme.
Speaking to Woman’s Weekly, Nigella discussed her nerves and how she and Paul differed when it came to tasting the bakers’ creations. Nigella spoke of how she asked him how he coped, but disagreed with his suggestion about how much of each bake to try.
She told the publication: “At the beginning, when there were all the bakers there, I did feel I was challenging my system. But I like to be able to taste things properly. I’m an eater.
“I did actually implore Paul: ‘Gosh, how do you manage all that?’ He said: ‘Well, you could take smaller mouthfuls.’ And I realised no, I couldn’t.”
The Bake Off returns to the UK’s screens tonight (Tuesday, October 6) at 8pm on Channel 4.
