The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer is back as more famous faces cook up a storm in the tent.
Hosted by Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas, the five-part season sees 20 celebrities take part to try to impress judges Paul Hollywood and Dame Prue Leith and raise vital funds for Stand Up to Cancer.
Here, Paul Hollywood and Dame Prue Leith tell What To Watch all about The Great Celebrity Bake Off 2023 for Stand Up to Cancer...
The Great Celebrity Bake Off 2023 for Stand Up to Cancer is back! What was it like having Friends star David Schwimmer in the tent for the opening episode?
Paul Hollywood: “Great! I couldn’t believe it. I was a big fan of Friends so it was lovely to be with him and to meet David rather than Ross. He's such a nice guy, but he was intense and concentrated. He wanted to do well and he’s talented.”
Dame Prue Leith: “I was very interested to meet him. He wanted to be on the show to support Stand Up To Cancer but also, like most people, he wanted to get into that tent. At the beginning he didn’t talk at all, he was busy baking, but he loosened up. I was surprised at how serious and determined he was!”
Were there any other stars who you enjoyed having on the show?
Dame Prue Leith: “I was pleased to have [Dragon’s Den star] Deborah Meaden, who's an old friend. She's always seen as a tough businesswoman who doesn't smile a lot and is brutal so it was lovely to show that she's a nice woman! And we had [Olympic diver] Tom Daley, who is a knitter, so decoration was his thing.”
Paul Hollywood: “I’m a big fan of [The Repair Shop’s] Jay Blades, you could see he works with his hands. [Top Gear star] Paddy McGuinness was lovely to catch up with as well and [Sherwood actor] David Morrissey put a smile on people’s faces. But [former TOWIE star] Gemma Collins was worried about being there!”
Did anything go wrong in the tent this year?!
Paul Hollywood: “A couple of things collapsed, or sometimes they ran out of talent! Paddy made schoolboy errors, and I stopped one before it happened. They made ‘my hometown’ in biscuits, and he did a Bolton chimney, and he wanted it really high, it was ridiculous! So we offered advice. You want them to enjoy it, so you say, ‘If you do that instead, it'll end up ten times as good…’”
Dame Prue Leith: “It's extraordinary that the celebrities cope though, because often they don't bake at all. But they have wonderful ideas and the atmosphere in the tent is so supportive. I love the celebrity one because it has all the best things about Bake Off but it's not as serious. There’s a lot more laughter!”
In the first Showstopper, they create their ‘biggest celebrity fail’ out of meringue and comic Tom Davis makes a dirty festival loo! What was that like?
Paul Hollywood: “Distressing! Tom had even made meringue kisses that looked like poo. But they tasted nice!”
Dame Prue Leith: “I found it difficult to look at, it was disgusting! But the celebrities are imaginative. This season has some of the best Showstoppers — crazy ones!”
Did any of the celebrities have personal reasons for wanting to help Stand Up To Cancer?
Paul Hollywood: “There are quite a lot of people in this series who have been affected by cancer. They really wanted to be part of something to raise some money. I know what Adele [Roberts, the DJ, who has had bowel cancer] has been through, and she's amazing. Cancer is difficult to deal with. When you hear people’s stories, you think, ‘We need to sort this out quickly’.”
To support Stand Up To Cancer, visit su2c.org.uk
The Great Celebrity Bake Off 2023 for Stand Up to Cancer starts on Sunday, March 19 on Channel 4 at 7.45 pm
