BAKE OFF BOYS SELASI & LIAM
Our favourite Bake Off alumni share their tips for throwing an epic festive shindig
There have been some magical partnerships in telly history – Ant & Dec, Mel and Sue, Chris and Kem… Now, enter Selasi and Liam.
heat columnist Selasi pledged his support for 20-year-old Liam Charles in this year’s Bakeoff, posting an adorable tribute to the drama student when he left the show in week eight. “I had been rooting for him as he reminded me of Martha Collison, the youngest contestant from 2014,” Selasi, 31, tells us. “Liam knew what he was doing and he smashed it.”
Now, they’ve come together for our special
heat Christmas shoot and the cheeky bantz between them is reaching epic levels, as they trade Bake
Off knowledge and show off their “Candy ” moves (more on those later). It’s a golden partnership,
which deserves its own show (watch out, Sandy and Noel). But with life after the tent changing beyond recognition for both of them, we wanted to know what advice Selasi has for his young baking Jedi, Liam. And, given it’s the season to eat, drink and be merry, we wanted to know how they’d organise a showstopping Christmas knees-up…
Liam, loads of fans felt you were the true winner this year… Liam: Yeah, and I was gutted not to have got to the final. But looking at the challenges that were in week nine and ten, I don’t know how well I’d have done at them. Life must have changed a lot since Bake Off. Is it good to have people such as Selasi you can turn to for advice?
L: I’ve been really lucky. Everyone who has approached me has been really nice. Stuff has changed, but luckily nothing for the worse, so it’s cool to be able to talk to Selasi from time to time. We’ve actually only met a couple of times…
Selasi: Yeah, and I can’t stand him! [Smiles.]
Selasi, what have you learnt over the last year that you can pass on to Liam?
S: Always try to be yourself, and don’t try to please everyone. It was quite easy for me, because I went on the show to just bake. I wasn’t looking to make a career from it, so I wasn’t expecting much and it wasn’t like I was after freebies. It put me in a good position to be able to say, “This is good, I’ll do this,” rather than feeling like I had to take the money. Liam, has your nan had words with you about behaving yourself now that you’re in the public eye? L: No, not really, because my nan only ever has to look at me and I’ll behave myself. And I’m a pretty good kid, anyway! Are you planning on cooking a big Christmas dinner for your family and friends? L: Nah, it’s too much hassle. S: Right, this is what’s wrong with kids of today. He’s quite happy to let his nan cook and think, “I’m not touching it.” Growing up, I would go in the kitchen, and if my parents didn’t want me to be in there, I would just join in anyway. [Liam’s] Caribbean culture and [my] African culture are similar in that it’s all about socialising and entertaining – it should come to you like this. [Clicks fingers.]
L: No, it’s my nan. She just doesn’t want us in the kitchen… S: I’m sorry, but that’s no excuse. L: Christmas Day is military. She runs everything. She takes over whoever’s kitchen it is, and you just know to leave her alone. Thankfully, Liam’s nan is nowhere in sight, so let’s crack open the Prosecco and get this party started…
‘My nan runs Christmas Day like a military operation’ Liam