3 hours ago
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Last week, I was sent an exciting news story by a friend. This was a surprise for two reasons: I’m chronically online so I usually see everything first, and also there are no good news stories any more in this life. But it was real, and for many people, including me, this one piece of blessed news was equal to three or four regular pieces of good news.
It is a rat king of good news, a fatberg of good news clogging up my pipes. It had been announced that *trumpets heralding* *doves released* the iconic Nigella Lawson is joining the iconic The Great British Bake Off!!!!!! (I don’t know how many exclamation marks are allowed in the Guardian style guide, I might be pushing it.)
My reaction might seem over the top, but I won’t allow you to Debbie Downer this news that has turned my frown upside down. One of my favourite people on the planet to watch on TV, joining a TV show I love and watch every season of. As a TV lover, nothing could be better. Bake Off is a wonderful, cosy, sweet, fun and delicious show. Unlike other reality competition shows (which I also love), the contestants on the show are there to make friends. I’ve enjoyed Prue Leith’s reign on the show, she is an experienced and polite woman, but I am filled with delighted anticipation about what the new season will look like with the addition of the eponymous Nigella.
Changes to judging lineups are inevitable in long-running reality shows, and the shift in dynamic can sometimes cause issues, but in this case I feel as chill as puff pastry between laminations. The show has already been through several host and judge shake-ups over the last few years, and the previous change was one of the best, replacing Matt Lucas (I used to shut one eye and try to pretend he wasn’t there) with the delightful Alison Hammond. Alison is a hilarious presence who also says “bake” like “BIYKE”, forcing you to repeat it in your own home every time. I respect Prue, but I can’t wait to see how Alison and Nigella vibe. I think, like Alison, Nigella will be an extremely warm presence, which will work well with Paul Hollywood’s statue-like husky-eyed, semi-evil demeanour. I suspect we may see a slight rise in double entendres, but if anyone disrespects Nigella, they will be facing the wrath of a global audience. Just because we like watching sweet baking shows doesn’t mean we can’t get revenge.
I was curious about whether Nigella would bring the cosy and intimate vibe she is most known for, or if she would switch it up for the show and become a stringent judge. Then I read this interview:
“I’m not someone who looks for fault, I look for pleasure,” she said, positioning herself as the counterbalance to Hollywood’s famously technical lens. “I’m all about the eating,” she added.
Thank God. Actually, this is the only area I can see Nigella causing an issue. The tent they bake in is not temperature controlled, which can cause big issues with baking and also with English people, who aren’t able to cope above 25C. Everyone is already sweaty and stressed, and then Nigella Lawson appears? To judge you? I’d be afraid of becoming incapacitated. I know there are already a lot of shows to watch Nigella do her thing, but I’m most looking forward to watching her interact with the contestants.
Bake Off is quite often a really diverse show, especially compared with scripted television. It’s hard to predict who will be more obsessed with her – the queer women? The gay men? The underappreciated mothers? The straight lads with a heart of gold? The straight dads with a heart of gold? Nigella is funny, charming, warm, smart and beautiful. She is relaxed with all sorts of people, seems down to earth, and her dynamic with each of the unique individuals on the show will be a really fun part of the viewing experience.
The decision to hire her makes complete sense. She has the skills, the temperament, the fans. In my mind, she should already be spending her life where random people just prepare delicious things for her to have bites of. If she was carried around the tent on a palanquin by big strong men and fed peeled grapes as a palate cleanser between each tasting, that would also feel completely right to me. It’s got all the ingredients for a perfectly baked show.
It might not seem like much, but more and more we have to celebrate the small wins, the nice things, the things we can look forward to. In these grim and bleak times, I can picture a future of Nigella eating things with a little fork in the Bake Off tent, and that’s enough to keep me going.
English (US)