Mary Berry's blunt take on Bake Off host Noel Fielding: 'Not in my circle!'
DAME MARY BERRY admitted she "didn't know" Bake Off host Noel Fielding and that he was not in "her circle".
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The beloved baker is among the UK’s most trusted TV cooks and is considered a national treasure by many. Dame Mary shocked Bake Off fans when she refused to move with the show from the BBC to Channel 4. The 85-year-old, who stars on Mary Berry Everyday, gave her candid thoughts on the challenges faced by the programme.
Ahead of Bake Off’s move to Channel 4, the show attracted its highest-ever viewing figures when 14 million tuned in.
Since the final episode on the BBC, which aired five years ago, the show has struggled to replicate the same levels of success.
Last year’s Bake Off broke records for Channel 4 after 9.2 million people watched Peter Sawkins triumph in the final.
However, the viewing figures still fell nearly five million short of the BBC’s peak record.
Bake Off’s move away from the BBC was considered controversial at the time and was agreed for a deal reportedly worth £75million over three years.
Paul Hollywood was the only member of Bake Off’s original line-up to move to Channel 4 and was allegedly paid £1.2million for the three-year deal.
He was joined by Prue Leith, a British-South African restaurateur, chef and food critic.
Dame Mary revealed she “was never asked to go” with the team, during a 2017 interview with The Guardian.
She claimed to have “avoided being asked” to join the show on Channel 4 due to her loyalty to the BBC.
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Dame Mary revealed “the advantages” had been “suggested” to her but she “didn’t ever have a meeting” with the team.
She said: “I had made up my mind, to me it’s an honour to be on the BBC.”
Dame Mary’s connection to the corporation stemmed from being “brought-up on it” – both as a viewer and being nurtured on its shows.
She recalled listening to the BBC during the Blitz and “followed the war” through their reportage “all the way”.
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When the Bake Off deal was bartered, Dame Mary said: “No one was more surprised than me.”
While she alluded to having “differences” with Paul, she said he was “a brilliant bread maker” and someone she “admired… a lot”.
Presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins also announced they would not “go with the dough” and move to Channel 4.
This led to the casting of QI star Sandi Toksvig and comedian Noel Fielding as Bake Off’s new stars.
Dame Mary felt Prue was a “perfect choice” to replace her but had less to say about the show’s new presenters.
In 2017, she told HELLO! magazine: “I don’t know the other comedians, they are not in my circle.”
Dame Mary seemed pessimistic about Bake Off’s future on Channel 4 and said: “It couldn’t get bigger than it was on the BBC.”
The host singled-out Noel during an interview with The Sun in 2017 and said: “I don’t know him.”
Despite her reservations, Dame Mary later added that while she had no idea who he was, she would “take her chances” on him.
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Noel described Bake Off as one of his “favourite shows” and said he “always loved brightly coloured cakes”.
He also professed his admiration for Sandi, who was replaced by Little Britain star Matt Lucas last year.
Noel said: “This is a dream come true for me! It's basically the double!"
Dame Mary also said she would be “sad” if the Channel 4 line-up did not have as much experience as that on the BBC’s roster.
While she praised the casting of Prue as her successor, she was concerned the show’s producers could make bad choices.
Dame Mary said: “If they had chosen somebody who I knew couldn't do the job and hadn't the experience, I would have been sad.
“But I'm certainly not with Prue, she knows how to judge.”
Mary Berry Everyday is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.