PRUE WAS LIKE A RAINBOW

It still rankles with Paul that he was accused of betraying Bake Off when it moved from the BBC to Channel 4 in 2017, even though it was Mary Berry, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins who jumped ship, while he stayed. He was unprepared for the vitriol levelled against him, saying at the time, ‘Mary will never be a villain. I will always be a villain.’

Today he adds, ‘It was like losing part of the family, as me, Mel, Sue and Mary were all tight. But I didn’t have the same connection to the BBC as they did, maybe because I was northern and they didn’t know where to place me. Even so, I was nervous, but Channel 4 were adamant about getting the right team, and they did — I remember Prue [right] when she walked in, she was like a rainbow.’