It’s the laugh you hear first. The Great British Bake Off tent was already a happy place, populated by cheery contestants and grinning crew members who clearly love their jobs (free cake is a mere bonus). The arrival of new presenter Alison Hammond has lifted it to fresh heights. Thanks to her joyous presence and a back-to-basics approach, the upcoming 14th series promises to be the most showstopping in years.
“I’m loving it,” grins her co-host Noel Fielding during a filming break. “Alison’s bringing such good vibes.” “The bakers adore her,” adds judge Prue Leith. “And it takes the duty of hugging them off us.” “What can I say?” shrugs Hammond faux-modestly. “I’m a natural hugger.” The touchy-feely mood has even rubbed off on mean old master baker Paul Hollywood. “Paul actually gave someone a hug,” says Fielding gleefully. “I’ve got a Polaroid as evidence.” “Alison has softened me up,” admits Hollywood. “We’re all more tactile now,” says Fielding. “Naked rehearsals, the lot.”
Arriving at Bake Off’s spiritual home of Welford Park in Berkshire, the white marquee rises majestically from the treeline. It’s so familiar from the past 13 years, the very sight makes your mouth water. Hollywood’s Aston Martin is parked outside. Hammond and Fielding whizz around the lawns in golf carts, causing havoc. Leith is quietly reading outside her shepherd’s hut – the show’s four stars have one each as their trailers, sociably parked in a circle – and rolls her eyes indulgently.
When I visit for an exclusive sneak peek, it’s midway through the 10-week contest and the theme is Botanicals. It’s such a scorching summer’s day that the bakers are desperately trying to keep cool by draping wet tea towels round their necks. One is having a nightmare with her entremet cake and breaks down in tears. Fielding rushes over to dispense cuddles. Even when the cameras aren’t rolling, Fielding and Hammond are sweetly supportive of their apron-clad charges.
“It takes you by surprise, this show,” says Fielding. “You get caught up and before you know it, you’re taking care of the bakers. It’s pastoral care as much as presenting. The bakers all become close friends so when one leaves, it rocks them. The tent becomes crazily emotional. We end up living through their bakes, willing them to do well. Well, except Paul.” Now it’s the long-suffering Hollywood’s turn to roll his eyes.
“It’s lovely to see the bakers develop but it does get emotional,” says Hammond. “You have to remember that no matter how good they are, they’re amateurs. They practise like mad all week at home – getting their kids to bed, then baking until 2am. Do a bad bake in the tent and it’s no wonder it wobbles them.” “I find it torturous when it’s not going well,” says Fielding. “Their little faces. After the judging, I feel rinsed out like a flannel.”
This is a pivotal year for the hit cake-making contest. Recent series have been criticised for culturally insensitive theme weeks and challenges that had too much cooking and not enough baking. Executive producer Kieran Smith accepts these gripes. “I hold my hands up to the cooking complaint and the theme weeks,” he admits. “We didn’t want to offend anyone but the world has changed and the joke fell flat. We’re not doing any national themes this year.”
Having listened to feedback, the programme-makers Love Productions have tweaked the recipe. “We’re going very traditional,” says Smith. “We’re doing all the regular weeks: Cakes, Biscuits, Bread, Patisserie, Chocolate, plus Party Cakes is a new theme. No spoilers, but it features challenges I think viewers will love.” “We chose this year’s challenges very carefully to be approachable,” says Hollywood. “In a way, we’ve returned to the philosophy of the first three series. There are some beautiful classic ones and they’ve been a big success.”
When Fielding’s sidekick Matt Lucas stepped down last December, a shortlist of four potential replacements were screen-tested. Hammond was the clear winner, striking up instant chemistry with Fielding. “It wasn’t a difficult decision,” Smith confirms. “It’s weird but I felt like this was something I was always meant to do,” says Hammond. “I just knew it in my heart. I felt a little bit sick I wanted it so badly. When I found out I’d got it, I was proper excited. Genuinely couldn’t wait to get started. Matt sent me a good luck voice note, which was really lovely.”
Did the quartet have a bonding session when her casting was announced? “Yeah, we went out on the lash,” deadpans Hollywood. “Three days I think it was.” “Pole-dancing was involved,” laughs Hammond. “No, we had a couple of nice dinners. One was in a fancy place with booths and we were laughing so much we kept lying down on the banquettes. Poor waiter. Every time he bought something over, he’d find us horizontal.” I feel his pain. The quartet erupt into hysterics at regular intervals.
By stealth, Fielding has now been on Bake Off as long as original hosts Mel and Sue. Meanwhile, Dame Prue has matched the seven-year stint of her predecessor, Dame Mary Berry (“Two dames in the tent,” says Hollywood. “Amazing.”) With Hollywood ever-present since the show began, Hammond is very much the newbie but she slotted in seamlessly. “It didn’t take much adjusting,” he says. “Alison arrived with a big smile on her face and took to it straight away. She’s been brilliant. An inspired choice. It feels like she’s been here for years. Frankly, it’s nice to have a professional in the tent for a change.” Fielding takes this on the chin: “There you go, there’s your headline.”
They’re teasing but he has a point. Fielding, Lucas and his predecessor Sandi Toksvig are all comedians. Hammond is a “proper” presenter, albeit a very funny one, which changes the dynamic. As Smith says: “Alison and Noel’s partnership is about silliness and warmth, rather than jokes. It’s less scripted and more off-the-cuff. Just two mates messing around.”
Hammond has also forged fond relationships with the judges. “There’s a nice dynamic between her and Paul,” says Smith. “He’s the elder statesman who takes her under his wing. She plays up that she fancies him a little bit. And, of course, Noel still finds it impossible to resist taking the piss out of Paul’s double denim, Paul’s tan, Paul’s eyes … ” “I’m always the butt of jokes,” says Hollywood. “But I got my own back on Paul Hollywood Eats Mexico. We made piñatas of Noel and Matt, bashed them to death and sweets came out.” “Yeah, that was terrifying,” says Fielding with a shudder.
Leith is just delighted to have another woman around. “It’s such a relief,” she says. “Those three boys together were like schoolkids. Always descending into hysterics about sausages or beavers.” “Prue pretends she doesn’t like the innuendo,” stage-whispers Hammond, “but she loves it really.” “It’s when Paul gets the giggles that sets me off,” says Fielding. “Remember Helena [Garcia from series 10], the goth witch, with her fairy garden? In your Liverpudlian accent, that sounded filthy.” “We even had a soggy bottom the other week, didn’t we?” says Hammond delightedly. “A completely raw base to a quiche,” Leith explains.
This year’s intake of 12 amateur bakers are a typically diverse mix. The field includes the show’s first deaf contestant – another example of Bake Off’s long-standing inclusivity. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice some tweaks to the tent, with pink workbenches, red-and-white gingham and a new-look sunburst window. After last year’s series-opening Star Wars skit, another classic film is affectionately spoofed this year. I’m sworn to secrecy but, rest assured, Hammond has been keen to play dress-up. “I live for all that,” she says. “Get me outfits!”
She relished another of her new responsibilities: “I couldn’t wait to say: ‘On your marks, get set, bake.’ Sometimes I do it in a little Caribbean accent.” Hammond is the first person of colour to be a judge or presenter on the main show. “I suppose that is a big moment,” she says. “My mum would be very proud indeed. But it’s also nice if it gets to a point where it’s not a big deal and I’m just Alison.”
She’s known for being accident-prone – she first achieved cult fame, after all, by breaking a table in the Big Brother garden and later pushed a “sexy sailor” off This Morning’s floating weather map into Liverpool’s Albert Dock – but she’s so far avoided any calamities. The sole mishap? “A splinter in my backside from sitting on an unsanded picnic bench. It was really painful but a bit of Sudocrem and it was fine.” “That wasn’t Sudocrem,” says Fielding. “It was royal icing.”
After a few missteps, Hammond’s effervescence is helping put the fun back into Bake Off. “Alison gives it a real lift,” says Smith. “It’s warmer, kinder, sillier. It’s one of the best series we’ve ever done.” What does the new recruit believe is the secret of its success? “It’s just simple and good,” says Hammond. “A little bit like me. Simple and good.” There goes that laugh again. “Our brand values align. Maybe that’s why I got the gig.”
The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 later this month.
