PAUL HOLLYWOOD MAKES NIGELLA LAWSON COMPARISON TO MARY BERRY — ‘SHE’S A VERY WARM PERSON’ AS BAKE OFF ENTERS NEW ERA

Paul Hollywood has opened up about Great British Bake Off’s latest judging shake-up, revealing how new co-star Nigella Lawson compares with one of the show’s most iconic former faces, Dame Mary Berry.

Nigella, 66, has joined the Channel 4 favourite after Dame Prue Leith stepped down following nine seasons on the programme. Leith herself replaced Berry in 2017, meaning Hollywood is now the only member of the judging line-up who has remained since the show launched in 2010.

Speaking to Radio Times, Hollywood praised Lawson’s approach in the tent and described her as particularly supportive towards the bakers.

“There’s a very nurturing nature to Nigella, which was quite strong this year,” he said.

But Hollywood also drew a direct comparison with Berry, explaining that each of the show’s judges has brought a distinctly different personality to the role.

“Mary was different to Prue, Prue was different to Nigella, and Nigella is different to Mary,” he said.

Hollywood then added that Lawson is “a very warm person, especially to the bakers,” before making the comparison that is likely to attract the most attention.

“More so than Mary was and I think more akin to Prue,” he said.

Hollywood, 60, described himself as the constant presence in the Bake Off tent, explaining that his own role remains centred on constructive criticism.

“So I remain in my position of being constructively critical,” he said.

Lawson has also explained how she approaches the delicate balance between encouragement and criticism.

Speaking to the Press Association, she said she always tries to find the positive because criticism should not leave contestants feeling inadequate.

At the same time, she acknowledged that judges have to be honest when something has gone wrong.

“You can’t do anything except be honest, because all you have to go on is your honest reaction,” Lawson said.

For the new judge, one of the most interesting parts of the series has been watching contestants develop throughout the competition.

She said seeing how the bakers learn over the course of the series reminded her that mistakes matter less than what people learn from them.

Lawson brings decades of television and publishing experience to the Bake Off tent. She became a household name in the late 1990s through her bestselling cookbooks and cookery programmes, including Nigella Bites.

Her debut cookbook, How To Eat, became a bestseller, while How To Be a Domestic Goddess won her the British Book Award for Author of the Year in 2001.

She has since worked across Channel 4, ITV and the BBC and appeared on MasterChef Australia, MasterChef US and My Kitchen Rules.

Now, with Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding hosting and Lawson joining Hollywood at the judges’ table, Bake Off is entering another new chapter — while Hollywood remains the familiar constant at the centre of the tent.

The Great British Bake Off starts Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.