Nigella Lawson has been confirmed as the new judge on The Great British Bake Off. The 66-year-old will judge alongside Paul Hollywood and replace Prue Leith who announced she was leaving last week.
Nigella has had her own shows on BBC and has previously fronted cooking competition The Taste on Channel 4. She is well known for her innuendos and cheeky cooking comments which should fit in well on Bake Off.
Nigella said: “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. 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!”
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She also got the seal of approval from outgoing Dame Prue Leith who said, “I’m thrilled that Nigella is to experience brilliant Bake Off. She’s sassy, fun and she knows her onions — and her croissants, cake and crumble.”
Ian Katz, Chief Content Officer at Channel 4 said: “We’re incredibly excited about the marriage of two great British icons: Bake Off and Nigella. With Nigella joining the tent, Love Productions have created the dream team of British telly. Nigella brings an incomparable
combination of warmth, expertise and sophistication to the tent, and this summer’s series will be as mouthwatering a prospect as her chocolate Guinness cake.”
Prue announced she was leaving the show on January 21. In her statement posted on Instagram, Prue said: "After nine series and judging more than 400 challenges, I have decided to step down as a judge on The Great British Bake Off.
"Bake Off has been a fabulous part of my life for the last nine years, I have genuinely loved it and I’m sure I’ll miss working with my fellow judge Paul, Alison and Noel and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4. But now feels like the right time to step back (I’m 86 for goodness sake!), there’s so much I’d like to do, not least spend summers enjoying my garden. Whoever joins the team, I’m sure they’ll love it as much as I have. I feel very lucky to have been part of it."
Prue, 85, a culinary expert and author had joined the cookery programme in 2017 following Bake Off’s move from the BBC to Channel 4. She replaced Mary Berry who was a judge when the show was on BBC1.
Ralph Lee, CEO of makers Love Productions said: “We are all so delighted at Love Productions to welcome Nigella to The Great British Bake Off. Nigella is one of the most influential and beloved voices in food, with a tremendous passion for baking and a deep connection with all audiences. Her warmth, wit and expertise make her a perfect fit for the tent and we feel very fortunate to have her join the Bake Off team."
The Great British Bake Off featuring Nigella is expected to be filmed in the tent this Summer and will air later this year.
