‘Great British Bake Off’: Jamie Oliver Frontrunner To Become Judge Amid Speculation That Mary Berry And Paul Hollywood Are Set To Quit | HuffPost

'Secretly I’d love to be one of the judges.'

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Head of Entertainment, HuffPost UK

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Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood might be remaining tight-lipped on their ‘Great British Bake Off’ future, but a contender to their ‘Bake Off’ judging crowns has already emerged.

Jamie Oliver is the frontrunner for their jobs should they decide to quit, after he previously stated that he’d “love” to be one of the judges on the baking show.

Jamie Oliver

Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire

Presenters Mel and Sue have already confirmed they’re leaving the show after it was bought by Channel 4, with many believing Mary and Paul will follow them out of the ‘Bake Off’ tent.

Jamie has made no secret of his love of the show - or the fact that he’d love to be involved.

Speaking to Now magazine, Jamie said: “We watch Bake Off. The whole family loves it.

“Secretly, there’s always a part of me in mourning because I’d love to be one of the judges.

“I love Mary Berry and it’s really great watching.”

BBC

The 41-year-old chef was offered a judging role on the short-lived US version of the show in 2013 but couldn’t tale part due to other work commitments. He said at the time that it had been “a big regret for me”.

Mary and Paul have previously stated that they’d want the show to stay at the Beeb and reportedly refused to move to ITV during negotiations this year.

Mary’s husband, Paul Hunnings, has also hinted that she won’t be keen on moving to Channel 4.

He told the Daily Mail: “She’s very happy with the BBC, put it that way.”

In an interview earlier this year, Paul Hollywood also stated he would want to stay at the BBC.

“It’s not up to us, it’s up to the production company, but as far as Mary, Mel, Sue and myself are concerned we want to stay on the BBC,” he said.

Lisa Faulkner has also been tipped to join the show.

Mike Marsland via Getty Images

Meanwhile, bookmaker Coral have also tipped former ‘Celebrity Masterchef’ winner Lisa Faulkner as a contender to replace Mary and Paul if they decide to leave the show.

Last year’s ‘Bake Off’ champ Nadiya Hussain is also in the running, along with ‘An Extra Slice’ presenter Jo Brand and ‘Location Location Location’ stars Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer.

Other names in the hat include Joanna Lumley, Davina McCall and the comedian Ed Byrne.

NOW READ:

Most Controversial Great British Bake Off Moments

#BinGate(01 of18)

The moment none of us could have anticipated would be one of the top entertainment stories of 2014, Iain Watters made headlines when his ruined Baked Alaska wound up in the bin, which he then frustratedly presented to the judges as his finished product. (credit:BBC)

Diana gets bombarded with hate(02 of18)

The ramifications of #BinGate were, as previously mentioned, unprecentedly massive. Mainly for Iain's fellow contestant, Diana Beard, who found herself on the receiving end of a torrent of abuse, when she was accused of sabotaging Iain's Baked Alaska.

Paul Hollywood and Sue Perkins both piped up to defend Diana, while a statement from the BBC insisted: "Diana removing Iain's ice cream from the freezer for less than a minute was in no way responsible for Iain’s departure." (credit:BBC)

Paul Hollywood makes the jump to Channel 4(03 of18)

Remember when Bake Off was first announced to have made the jump to Channel 4? Does anyone feel in hindsight the ensuing manic press coverage might have been an overreaction?

Anyway, while Mary Berry decided not to jump ship, as did presenters Mel and Sue, out of "loyalty" to the BBC, Paul stuck with the show when it moved to its new home, and people were not happy, with many accusing him of "following the dough" and betraying the BBC.

Again, in hindsight... slight overreaction, no? (credit:PA Wire/PA Images)

Behind-the-scenes tension(04 of18)

Shortly after the new-look Channel 4 team was announced, the press was full of reports that they weren't getting along, particularly in comparison to their predecessors, with rumours suggesting Noel and Paul were finding it particularly difficult to locate common ground.

A Channel 4 spokesperson insisted, via a fairly clumsy pun: "[The team] get on brilliantly and together have all the ingredients for a show-stopping series." (credit:Channel 4)

Gay sex joke lands Paul and Noel in hot water(05 of18)

When Paul and Noel tried to hit back at rumours they weren't getting on themselves, they quickly landed themselves in hot water after tweeting this picture.

"This should put to rest any rumours that me and blue eyes don't get on," Noel tweeted.

This was met negatively by some fans on Twitter, who claimed the picture was offensive and demeaned gay sex for a joke. (credit:Channel 4)

Ruby gets accused of playing up to the judges(06 of18)

Ruby Tandoh found herself in the midst of some really unfair criticism back in 2013, when she was accused of crying to win the judges' sympathy, and even flirting with Paul Hollywood.

She later blasted these claims when she came out two years after, insisting that her detractors were "giant shitting misogynists", which we must admit is hard to argue with. (credit:BBC)

No but seriously, who thought this icing was a good idea?(07 of18)

Before the 2016 series had even begun, viewers took to Twitter to voice their disdain when the male and female contestants were given blue or pink icing to pose with, depending on their gender, insisting this perpetrated antiquated stereotypes and even added to larger problems of sexism. (credit:BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon)

Flora's Aga(08 of18)

Flora Shedden managed to get on the wrong side of viewers back in 2015, when she complained that the show's ovens were tricky for her to use as she had an Aga at home.

Addressing the criticism she faced after some viewers accused her of being “too posh” for the show, she later said: 'Where I live the majority of people have Agas as a means of heating, not just cooking.“They are a very sensible option during Scottish winters. As we have no heating in the house, it’s a lifesaver.

"Ours is 50 years old and was salvaged from a house fire. I did find it baffling that it made headlines." (credit:BBC)

Noel's game of Hide & Seek attracts Ofcom complaints(09 of18)

Noel Fielding attracted over 50 Ofcom complaints in 2018, when during a skit with co-host Sandi Toksvig, he hid in a fridge.

Plenty of people voiced their disdain, suggesting Noel was setting a potentially dangerous example by encouraging young viewers to imitate him.

However, the TV watchdog later ruled the programme had not breached broadcasting guidelines, saying in a statement: “We found that the scene was very brief and occurred later in the programme, when younger children were least likely to be watching.”

Ofcom also pointed out that since the 1960s, fridges are fitted with a device meaning they can be opened from the inside, should someone climb into one as Noel did. (credit:Channel 4)

Nadiya faces the wrath of The Sun(10 of18)

Nadiya's Bake Off victory is still a guaranteed tear-jerker for many of us, but sadly not everyone was as pleased with her win.

An article published in The Sun in the aftermath described it as 'ideological warfare' intended to spark a 'multi-cultural jig of politically-correct joy' at the BBC.

Thankfully, Twitter had Nadiya's back. (credit:BBC)

Enwezor Nzegwu's shop-bought icing raises eyebrows(11 of18)

Shop-bought icing, though. What was he thinking? (credit:BBC)

Paul gets too generous with his Hollywood Handshake(12 of18)

Paul's Hollywood Handshake has been a mainstay of the series, signifying the ultimate seal of approval from the judge and therefore becoming something all the bakers seek to get.

However, during the 2018 series, Paul made headlines with the amount he was giving out, with many claiming he was playing it too fast and loose with them compared to previous years.

Paul later admitted he needed to "raise his barrier" as the standard of baking had "got better and better". (credit:Channel 4)

This squirrel(13 of18)

Bake Off is supposed to celebrate everything good about the great British summer, though we think the inclusion of this squirrel's giant testicles in the final edit was possibly 'a bit much'. (credit:BBC)

Paul apologises for Nazi picture(14 of18)

Paul had to publicly apologise in 2017 when an old picture of him dressed as a Nazi at a fancy dress party resurfaced.

After the picture was published in The Sun, he said: “I am absolutely devastated if this caused offence to anyone, the picture was taken 14 years ago en route to a Comedy TV Shows Themed New Year’s Eve Party and a group of us dressed up as characters from the classic TV show ’Allo ’Allo!

“Everyone who knows me, knows I am incredibly proud of the efforts of those, including my own grandfather, who fought against the Nazis during the war.”

His apology was not well received by all, with former contestant Ruby Tandoh tweeting: “absolutely creasin at ppl telling me “IT WAS TEN YEARS AGO” as if the nazis weren’t bad back then. guys he was still a middle aged man when he did this lol. i don’t think he’s a nazi i just think he’s absurd [sic].” (credit:Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)

Errant fridges land the show in hot water(15 of18)

Back in 2012, the show was accused of product placement to the prominence of Smeg-branded fridges in the Bake Off tent.

When Bake Off guidelines were revised, Smeg were also forced to take down a notice on their website announcing their association with the show. (credit:BBC)

Innuendo(16 of18)

Yes, a few cheeky innuendos might seem like a part of Bake Off as integral as bomber jackets and self-raising flour, but viewers have argued over the years that it can often verge on indecent.

Paul Hollywood said in 2014: "Our whole culture has always been based on it. Carry On films did it for 30 years and then there were cheeky beach picture postcards." (credit:BBC)

Bake Off breaks its own rules(17 of18)

Bake Off fans are sticklers for the rules, as proved during the final technical challenge of the 2018 series.

It saw the bakers leave the familiar surroundings of the iconic tent for the first time ever, as they were tasked with making six pitta breads over an open fire, as well as three dips to go with them.

It required them to tend to the fire, which many complained meant it technically wasn't a baking challenge, and therefore went against the rules of the competition. (credit:Channel 4)

Prue accidentally reveals the winner(18 of18)

Prue was at the centre of a media storm at the end of her first series when she prematurely revealed on Twitter that Sophie had won, hours before the final was due to air on TV. She later blamed getting confused with the time difference while on holiday in Bhutan.

The gaffe has been regarded as one of the best / worst in TV history, and she has failed to live in down ever since, admitting she would be locking herself away on future finale nights. (credit:David M. Benett via Getty Images)

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