Just five days after Channel 4 announced Dame Prue Leith’s exit from The Great British Bake Off, the broadcaster has spared us months of speculation by naming her replacement (Strictly Come Dancing, take note). And what a booking they’ve pulled off with the endlessly watchable – and forever quotable – cook extraordinaire and Queen of the Innuendo, Nigella Lawson. I hope there’s a red carpet rolled out at the tent.
It’s a huge coup, and with this ingenious casting, bosses may have secured the future of a slightly stale franchise. Back in 2017, when tasked with replacing OG judge Dame Mary Berry as Bake Off moved from the BBC to Channel 4, producers plucked Leith from BBC Two’s Great British Menu and introduced the celebrated chef to a much wider audience, rocketing her to a new level of fame. This time around, though, things are different.
