Paul Hollywood
Our favourite master baker has travelled the globe and is now ready for a fresh start
It’s six months since the announcement that The Great British Bake Off was to move to Channel 4 and judge Paul Hollywood, who will stay with the show, admits he is feeling very excited.
Looking relaxed and happy, he says he can’t wait to embrace a new chapter that now lies ahead – and what a chapter it will be.
Not only will he be judging on the return of the show that has turned him into a household name, but he is also flying high with his solo TV series, City Bakes.
Travelling to some of the world’s most glamorous cities, including San Francisco, Cape Town and Palermo in Sicily, he discovers more about local delicacies and their bakers’ lifestyle. The globetrotting adventure aptly sees him visit the place with his name – Hollywood in Los Angeles.
Laughing at the sheer irony behind the visit, the 51-year-old reveals, “When we were going through our wish list of places to travel to, we all said I had to do ‘Hollywood does Hollywood’.
“I do like LA. It has a temperate climate and it feels so exotic. And they seem to have the word Hollywood everywhere! That made me feel at home!”
As well as visiting local bakers and food markets, Paul also cooks alongside local chefs, and it’s the fact he gets to bake in a kitchen that he particularly relishes.
“You just find yourself getting totally absorbed in it all and you even forget the cameras are there,” explains Paul. “What I love about City Bakes is the fact I can be mor more relaxed on camera. Bake Off is about judging – and I love it – but with this series even my own friends say ‘you sound just like you do when you’re at home’.”
We caught up with Paul in Los Angeles to chat over coffee about City Bakes and the incredible journey he has been on to become one of the most popular TV stars in this country. Dressed in jeans and a smart blue polo shirt, what comes across in abundance is how selfdeprecating Paul is away from the TV cameras.
He constantly chats about how fortunate he is, how he never takes anything for granted, and how he feels embarrassed mentioning he flew to LA for fear of sounding like he’s showing off.
With filming days starting at 7.30am his schedule is relentless, but Paul never complains. “Most people have to go to an office and I really do pinch myself how lucky I am,” he says. “Here in LA, I get to drive an Aston Martin down Sunset
Boulevard and you just think how great that is. I mean, how can a baker from the Wirral be driving an Aston Martin in LA – and get paid for it? It’s absolutely crazy!”
Cherishing every opportunity that is thrown at him, he says his wife, Alex, and teenage son, Josh, have been incredibly supportive, especially as City Bakes takes him away from home.
“They would never tell me not to take something on,” he says. “It’s all about balance though, and I do make sure I block weeks out of my diary. Family is so important. It’s not all about work, work and work!
“My wife Alex is a brilliant cook and she tends to do the cooking at home.”
As well as his baking commitments, Paul is also a keen car fan and this year will see him race at the prestigious Le Mans championship.
“I’ve always been into cars,” he says. “I love the thrill of it. I find racing therapeutic in terms of switching off from work.”
His love of cars will be the subject matter of a new BBC documentary he is filming that sees him drive around France and Italy.
He’s also preparing for the hotly anticipated return of Bake Off. Paul can’t wait.
As he explains, it’s a brand new start and remaining loyal to those who work tirelessly behind the scenes has always been his top priority – a quality to be admired in a television world that can be so cut-throat.
“Baking is in a very different place and we will be starting again,” he says, smiling. “Chapter one has finished and the ride has been amazing. Chapter two is about to arrive and we are starting again. It’s a brand new venture. It’s the same tent but there will be the integral change of hosts and judges. It’s very exciting.”
CityBakes returns to the Food Network on Monday March 20.
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