We must be scone our way Mary, Sue Mel
entertainment t’s almost certainly
TV’S most emotional moment of the year.
When Nadiya Hussain became the 2015 champion of The Great British Bake Off it wasn’t just Mary Berry stifling tears at the mum-of-three’s triumph.
Nadiya’s heartfelt winner’s speech – ‘I’m never going to put boundaries on myself ever again’ – had millions of us reaching for the tissues.
So goodness only knows how we’ll cope watching this
Wednesday’s final, knowing it’s the last time we’ll see the
IBake Off gang together following the shock resignations of Mary and presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins over the show’s move to C4.
‘What can I say? I feel very honoured to have been asked to do Bake Off and feel so very sad not to be a part of it,’ Mary tells us.
‘I love it and it’s been a privilege to be part of seven years of magic in a tent. My Bake Off family –
Paul, Mel and Sue – have given me so much joy and laughter.’
‘And I’ve loved every minute working with Mary. I will miss her,’ says co-judge Paul Hollywood, who’s agreed to stay on for another three seasons.
Mary’s steely sweetness and Paul’s blunt but twinkly critiques delivered a judging dream team, while the innuendoladen quips of Mel and Sue stopped the bakers (and judges) taking themselves too seriously.
Quite simply, it’s been seven years of TV gold – so what better tribute can we pay than sitting back with a cuppa and slice of lemon drizzle cake to watch them crown the best amateur baker of 2016?
‘It’s a great final,’ promises Paul. ‘Early on in the series
I picked two of them in my head for the final – the other one’s a wild card.’
‘Oh, I didn’t even try to guess,’ says Mary. ‘I’ve learnt my lesson from the past – whenever I’ve tried I’ve been wrong! All I’ll say is that viewers won’t be able to make up their minds early on. They’re all much of a muchness to start with – one mistake and the dream’s gone!’
There won’t be a dry eye in the tent as and crown Britain’s best amateur baker for the very last time
This week’s final theme is a right royal Bake Off three challenges to impress both the Queen and, fittingly, our very own Queen of Cakes, Mary.
Meringues dominate the signature challenge, while Mary flummoxes the remaining three bakers with a technical test that only has ONE recipe instruction – the ultimate test of a baker’s intuition. The showstopper involves the most bakes ever asked for in a