Some Great British Bake Off fans have said they switched off the show after feeling uncomfortable watching Nigella Lawson, who has replaced Dame Prue Leith as a judge on the new series.
Lawson joined fellow judge Paul Hollywood, who has appeared on the programme since its launch in 2010, alongside presenters Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding. Dame Prue announced she was leaving the show after a decade earlier this year.
Fans share reactions on TikTok
A clip of the show shared on TikTok by a Bake Off fan has amassed 356,000 views after they admitted to struggling while watching. The fan said: "Struggled with bake off tonight. Every bite Nigella seemed to take was zoomed in and massive! lol."
The video drew thousands of comments, with many confirming they noticed the same thing, and some admitting they switched the show off. One person said: "Thank god I’m not the only one!!!! It was off putting." A second added: "I thought it was just me. Never in all the years of Bake Off have I actually noticed the 'bite' that any of the judges take! Nigella’s massive mouthfuls drove me mad!!"
Mixed opinions from viewers
A third commented: "NO STOP! I can’t watch it again," while a fourth said: "I can no longer watch bake off because of this." Others, however, shared their joy at Lawson joining the show due to her candid personality. One person said: "Be more Nigella. Get your chops round that cake girls! She’s amazing, I love her. Fantastic addition to the programme."
A second added: "Go back to her old shows…she always ate like this and that’s why I couldn’t bring myself to watch those parts."
Lawson's excitement at joining the show
When it was announced that Nigella was joining the Channel 4 show, she expressed her excitement, commenting: "I’m uncharacteristically rather lost for words right now! Of course, it’s daunting to be following in the footsteps of Prue Leith and Mary Berry before her, great dames both, but I’m also bubbling with excitement."
She added: "The Great British Bake Off is more than a television programme, it’s a National Treasure – and it’s a huge honour to be entrusted with it. I’m just thrilled to be joining the team and all the new bakers to come. I wish the marvellous Prue all the best, and am giddily grateful for the opportunity!"
