MARY: ‘Noel is wild on the new Bake Off!’

There was universal uproar when, after seven series, Mary Berry announced she would no longer be continuing as chief judge on one of the UK’S most popular TV shows, The Great

British Bake Off.

But after the debut of the new Bake Off, which – having moved from the BBC to Channel 4 – follows the same format but with presenters Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig and new judge Prue Leith, Mary, 82, tells Closer she is a big fan of the new show. She says: “I’ve watched the new show and it’s great! As usual, the format is second to none and the bakers are all amazing. They have a wonderful batch this year. Noel is fun, he’s a bit wild, but it’s good to have somebody nice and young. “If I had to choose a judge to take my place, it would be Prue. She’s a friend of mine and she knows her stuff – she has a different style, but has the same principle. She hasn’t asked for any tips from me, but we’ve had lots of chats.”

And while Mary says watching Bake Off didn’t make her miss the show, she admits she can’t wait to get to work on her new show for the BBC – Britain’s Best Cook – where she will be lead judge.

“I did seven series of Bake Off, which I enjoyed enormously,” says Mary. “But I have moved on to do something else I enjoy. My new show is a real cooking show – we all love baking, but now I’m working on a cooking show with meal recipes for the family.

“I’m looking forward to putting my judging hat back on – it’s good fun. I want to encourage people to do better next time.”