Nigella Lawson made her first appearance with the Great British Bake Off cast tonight, firmly putting any suggestion of a feud with Paul Hollywood to bed.
The TV chef replaces Prue Leith on the Channel 4 culinary contest, making her debut in the Bake Off tent when the series returns on September 22.
Nigella joined Paul, Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding at an exclusive screening of the very first episode tonight where her chemistry with the gang was undeniable.
‘It’s such a lovely atmosphere, and the four of us get on very well,’ she said.
‘But it’s everything though, it’s all the people because a television programme isn’t made just by the people on camera at all, it’s a proper community,’ said Nigella as she beamed at her co-stars.
Paul revealed the pair met several times before filming began, to have a bit of a ‘warm up’.
‘By the time the main series started, it just felt quite natural,’ he said. ‘It does feel like we’d all been working together for years and Nigella just fitted in beautifully.’
But no one was more taken with Nigella than Alison, who joined Bake Off four years ago and knows exactly what it feels like to be the new girl in the tent.
‘She didn’t need any advice whatsoever,’ said the This Morning host. ‘She literally went in front of those those amazing bakers the only way I can describe it is she’s magical, isn’t she? When she’s put the camera, she’s just magical. She’s Nigella. She’s iconic. She’s our queen.’
I was at the Bake Off screening – Paul and Nigella were electric
I was among the lucky first people to feast their eyes on the new series of Bake Off and saw first-hand the chemistry between Nigella, Paul, Alison and Noel.
Contrary to suggestions of a feud, Nigella and Paul were clearly more friendly than your average colleague.
Paul shared warm anecdotes of Nigella bringing mountains of cheese and freshly baked bread to filming, which together they all devour at lunchtime with glasses of and reflected on the warm vibes which happened ‘instantaneously’.
Now I love a feud, and can normally spot a feud from miles off, but there isn’t a whiff of drama here. The chemistry between all four Bake Off stars felt more natural than the show has felt since its BBC days.
The love-in comes after reports emerged Nigella and Paul were butting heads during filming, with The Domestic Goddess ‘cringed’ out by Paul’s entrance on set.
The Wirral-born baker famously commutes via his £500,000 helicopter which reportedly didn’t go down well with Nigella.
A source told the Daily Mail: ‘Put it this way: imagine if you’re super-rich Nigella and you see your co-star turning up in a helicopter, presumably to avoid the traffic and have a little bit of a show-off, you’re going to think it’s all a bit ghastly.’
The Great British Bake Off 2026 line-up was announced today with an immaculate collection of bakers ranging from a drag king to a paediatric doctor.
Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 on September 22.