The Great Celebrity Bake Off, review: new judge Caroline Waldegrave is a lovely, calming presence
Changes of personnel on The Great British Bake Off are usually of the headline-grabbing variety. It was front-page news when Mel, Sue and Mary Berry chose not to follow the show to Channel 4. Noel Fielding
was a left-field choice. Sandi Toksvig appeared to be having a nice time in the tent but quit and admitted she had never watched the show before, during or after appearing on it: 'I thought it was boring. I genuinely stood there and watched meringue dry.'
The latest addition to the line-up slips in with a complete absence of fuss, in the Stand Up to Cancer charity spin-off The Great Celebrity Bake Off, to take her place as a judge beside Paul Hollywood. She was introduced as Caroline Waldegrave, with no other detail provided as to who she is or why she's here, leaving viewers to fill in the blanks – she is Lady Waldegrave of North Hill, co-owner and co-founder of Leith's School of Food and Wine, wife of former Cabinet minister William Waldegrave, and here because her friend Prue has decided to step back from judging the specials.
What a lovely, calming presence she turned out to be. Beautifully polite, too. She provided a welcome balance to the guffaws of Alison Hammond. Boy, does that woman like to laugh. Adding his own hysterical laughter in this episode was comedian Chris Ramsey, one of the four contestants. I don't know who finds Chris funnier – Alison, Noel or Chris himself. He was joined by his wife, Rosie, while the other two contestants in this heat were property-presenter siblings Scarlette and Stuart Douglas.
The Ramseys co-host an insanely popular podcast called Sh**ged Married Annoyed, in which they poke fun at one another's habits. They continued along those lines here, prattling on about Chris's snoring, which their fans will love. The Douglases' careers can't translate to the tent in the same way – discussions about stud walls and kitchen extensions don't have the same entertainment value – so they just got on with baking.
Waldegrave, a sort of dialled-down version of Leith, wished contestants the best of luck then complimented them on their creations. 'I don't think I've ever tasted quite such a delicious carrot cake,' she said of Stuart's bake. Such praise from a cookery teacher of her experience should be worth as much as a Hollywood handshake.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Sunday Brunch in chaos as star 'pulls out' last minute and replacement is found
Sunday Brunch faced chaos moments before going live after one artist was seemingly replaced at the last minute Sunday Brunch was thrown into chaos before going on-air after rocker Yungblud, who is no stranger to the programme, unexpectedly didn't turn up for his scheduled slot. In what seemed like a last-minute upset, the no-show occurred despite the artist being advertised on the TV guide as one of the day's guests for the live show that went out on Sunday, 8th June. The official Channel 4 summary promised viewers appearances by "Tim Peake, Ben McKenzie, Sian Gibson, and Professor Green. With music from Yungblud." Traditionally, musicians set to perform towards the end of the broadcast are seated at the table with other guests before their performance during the rolling credits, yet Yungblud's absence was stark. Not only did he miss his spot at the table of celebrities, but it also appeared that his space was swiftly taken over by Jerub, an indie-pop sensation who managed to fill in at what was probably the eleventh-hour, reports the Manchester Evening News. Oddly enough, the show's details failed to mention Jerub, and neither Tim Lovejoy nor Simon Rimmer, the hosts, offered any explanation regarding the sudden change or discussed why Yungblud wasn't there. While chatting on the couch with Lovejoy and Rimmer, Jerub acknowledged that it had been a "tight squeeze" to rearrange his schedule to appear in the studio, revealing how excited he was to "make it work" following the producers' call. Jerub disclosed that he initially intended to come from Leeds, but owing to some "trains being cancelled", he was compelled to travel frantically "by car" to ensure he made it to Channel 4 on time. Tim expressed his gratitude for the guest's presence, remarking: "It's a wonder that you made it here, really, isn't it?" but refrained from elaborating on the circumstances further. As the show wrapped up, Jerub stepped into the spotlight to perform his latest track, Deeper, captivating viewers with his vocal talent. The audience seemed unfazed by any changes in the programme, instead flocking to Twitter to praise the touching finale delivered by Jerub. One admirer tweeted: "What a song. What a beautiful voice, a beautiful ending to Sunday Brunch from Jerub #SundayBrunch." Another simply shared their awe: "#sundaybrunch wow," while yet another new fan declared: "Jerub is a new find! Love him! #SundayBrunch." Sunday brunch airs every Sunday on Channel 4, from 10am and can be streamed via My4.
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Chris Martin fans baffled by cryptic shout-out to ex Dakota Johnson on stage
Chris Martin ended Coldplay's sold out Las Vegas show with a shout-out to his former partner, Fifty Shades of Grey actress Dakota Johnson, with fans left scratching their heads amid split reports Chris Martin appeared to give a shout-out to his ex Dakota Johnson on Friday night, as he closed Coldplay 's Las Vegas show. The 48-year-old singer has reportedly split with his partner of eight years, actress Dakota Johnson, 35. Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota is said to be "devastated" by the split, although sources have suggested it was a long-time coming. But ever the amiable ex, Chris made sure he showed support for his supposed former partner's new movie. He was closing the Allegiant Stadium gig, addressing the audience to say: "Thank you so much everybody." He added: "Be kind to yourself, be kind to each other. Don't forget to see Materialists! We love you!" Materialists is Dakota's upcoming rom-com, set for release in August. She plays protagonist Lucy, a young, ambitious New York City matchmaker, who finds herself unable to choose between her 'perfect match' and her imperfect ex. But off the big screen, Dakota's love life has been just as challenging, with the actress' rep forced to deny break-up rumours back in August 2024. On Monday June 2, Dakota was seen out in New York without her engagement ring. But fans have been getting mixed messages, with Dakota and Chris last photographed out together on May 16, in Malibu, California. Before that, when Coldplay were on tour in India, they were spotted holding hands. Neither Dakota nor Chris has confirmed or spoken on the reports yet. But a source has claimed that the rumoured split has hit Dakota hard. Speaking to the Sun, a source revealed: "Dakota wanted this relationship to work. "She not only loves Chris, but his two kids, and that loss feels incredibly painful. The decision to end things was amicable, but Dakota is finding it hard. Over the past year, it became clear that their relationship had stalled and wasn't moving forwards." As Coldplay continue their world tour, Dakota has been working on shoots for Materialists, as well as her other film Verity. The latter is set for release in 2026, and is an adaptation of It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover's novel of the same name. The source added: "Settling down, as in Chris properly taking his foot off the pedal, isn't going to happen. And, ultimately, it was one of the many straws that broke the back of them." Although they have had to shut down split rumours before, the Mail reports that this time, it's the end. An insider told the paper: "They just haven't been able to figure out to make it official. Dakota held a flame for them to be together because she loved him so much and loved his kids so much. "Breakups aren't instant and they continued to breakup and makeup and sometimes things would work when they were away from each other, while they were working because absence makes the heart grow fonder, but then they'd get back together and little things just kept adding up to where they weren't right for each other anymore... Dakota is devastated that she isn't going to be around his kids as much anymore, but wants them to know that she is always there for them." Chris shares those two children with ex Gwyneth Paltrow, whom he married in December 2003. They divorced in 2016, a split Gwyneth described as "conscious uncoupling". Gwyneth, 52, has since gone on to marry writer and producer Brad Falchuk, who she met on the set of Glee when she had a recurring guest role in the musical.
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Chris Stark shares health update and 'weird' stage after cancer operation
Capital Breakfast star Chris Stark has shared how he's doing after an admittedly 'crap' year in which he was diagnosed with testicular cancer during a routine GP appointment Radio star Chris Stark has candidly opened up on the ' weird ' unexpected phase he has experienced after undergoing chemotherapy treatment and operations for cancer. Capital Breakfast star Chris, 38, revealed in March this year that he had been diagnosed and treated for testicular cancer – but insisted in the heartfelt statement he is "effectively cured" after undergoing surgery and chemotherapy. Chris was flooded with support and praise from friends and fans following his candid health announcement. Now, weeks after sharing the news, Chris has shared an update on his health and revealed the 'weird' phase he unexpectedly found himself in after being given the all clear. When asked by the Mirror how he's doing, Chris revealed to us at the Pro Am Padel Tour launch: 'I thought I was doing OK until I came here and played a bit of Padel. 'I feel like… I'm sure people who have had an experience with cancer or chemotherapy or just being unwell at some point this year – it's really hard because you get into the summer months and suddenly… I'm sort of looking at myself and feeling so unfit and I feel like that's a really frustrating feeling and I work in a job where, you know, you see a lot of pictures of yourself and videos of yourself and I feel… you know. 'I'm just really pleased that this thing was found and I had the surgery but there's a weird, kind of, after thing in this that I hadn't really thought about, which is I just want to feel a little better about myself. 'And I'm really lucky because I go into a job where I work with lovely people who, and I really feel like, they have been amazing throughout this but I really want to, as I say, I want to find some stuff this year to kind of just make myself feel a little bit better and that's kind of why I came here today. 'Everything about this – although it seems probably simple and easy to anyone else – I just wanna start doing some stuff that will make me feel a bit fitter, show that you can do something like that and challenge myself a little bit more. So I'm playing cr*p and I feel desperately sweaty, like we're sat down now as we do this, but I feel good for turning up today.' That Peter Crouch Podcast star Chris has played a few games of the increasingly popular sport of padel, before taking part in the event. But, has admitted his interest in the sport has sparked a rivalry between himself and his Capital Breakfast co-host, Jordan North. He tells us: 'I started padel and he [Jordan] started getting involved and I noticed a bit of a trend where he keeps copying me with things I'm sort of into and then I got called up to do this and he, I think, is quite annoyed that he didn't get called up to do it and it's led to a bit of tension at work. 'It's kind of under lying, which one of us is going to end up on top on the padel game – we're like two rivals at the moment. And then maybe, one day, there will be this glorious moment where we end up together but, right now – I get on really well with Jordan – but this is the one thing that we seem to be falling out on and it's spilling out onto the show a little bit,' he joked. While Chris insists Jordan is the one who copied him with his interest in the sport, Chris is happy to return the favour by following in Jordan's footsteps and heading into the I'm A Celeb jungle. When asked if he'd do the ITV show, Chris says: 'I love I'm A Celebrity, it's the biggest show isn't it? He [Jordan] had a really weird time because, obviously, he did it when it was in the castle so I don't know if it'd be a totally different proposition doing the jungle. 'But, yeah, who doesn't want to do that show it'd be terrifying. But then I feel like I've kind of had a year of doing things that… I had a really crappy start to the year with my health and that's where you actually get a little bit scared and, I think, it kind of gives you a little bit of perspective with how ridiculous and fun can your job be where you go and do something like that. I kind of like the idea of taking on a few challenges and, maybe, this has kind of reset my brain a bit to kind of give things a go. I don't know I think it'd be an amazing thing to go down.' The Pro Am Padel Tour continues in July, September, and October. Follow @proampadeltour for more updates.
