Paul tops Great Brit Hate Off TV FANS TURN BITTER
PAUL Hollywood has become the most hated baker in Britain after agreeing to follow Bake Off to Channel 4.
Linguistic analysts said the show judge’s decision not to quit when it leaves the BBC had led to an outpouring of social media messages accusing him of treachery.
The spike in tweets came on September 22 as the 50-year-old announced he was moving channels, in a reported three-series deal worth £1.2million. Fellow judge Mary Berry, above, is sticking with the Beeb.
One Twitter user wrote: “Paul Hollywood just standing there in an otherwise empty tent. That’s not a TV show. That’s the sort of thing people have nightmares about.’’ Relative Insight’s Rich Wilson said Hollywood’s popularity had been on the wane since 2013, when he admitted he had cheated on his wife with Marcela Valladolid – his co-judge on the show’s US version. Mr Wilson said: “He has not had a great reputation for a while now.” During the current series, which ends on Wednesday, critics accused Hollywood of having a nasty streak. He told Tom Gillford: “When you fail, you fail catastrophically.” After one Hollywood comment, co-host Sue Perkins said: “Paul, I think you have an appointment at Banalities R Us just over there.’’ Experts reckon his reputation may be a problem for Channel 4. Hot TV: Page 29