After much irritation from audiences and press alike, ‘Great British Bake Off’ judge Paul Hollywood has finally admitted that he is handing out too many handshakes on this series.
The baker has promised that he will “almost stop” dishing out the gesture, after fans picked up on how he was being a bit fast and loose with his congratulations of this year’s contestants.
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Paul Hollywood has come under fire for giving out too many of his famous handshake
Channel 4
After it was revealed his handshakes had peaked at a rate of three per episode, Paul said on ‘The Jonathan Ross Show’: “I’ve taken a bit of flack over that.
“The handshake came from when they looked very professional and they almost cross that line from being amateur to professional.
“It started in series two, I just shook someone’s hand and said, ‘Well done.’ It was a ‘Well done.’ And every year the standard has got better and better and better and this year has been phenomenal. Some of the flavours they are bringing out. Rahul’s stuff has been incredible.”
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Paul appears on 'The Jonathan Ross Show' with 'GBBO' co-stars Prue Leith and Noel Fielding
Rex/Shutterstock/ITV
The star has since promised that the number of handshakes will rapidly decrease, as quickly as they shot up, in the second half of the series.
“You will see it happen [in a few weeks], the handshakes almost stop,” he revealed. “Because what I’ve done is I’ve realised they are all moving up in standard so I’ve got to move my barrier up, so that’s exactly what I do, I raise the bar and then no one gets over the top of it.”
At their lowest rate, Buzzfeed has reported that Paul offered no handshakes in series one and two of the competition, and distributing one a series in the show’s third and fourth runs.
The current season has Paul dish out eight of his famous handshakes, just over halfway through the competition.
HuffPost UK also investigated what’s been dubbed “handshake inflation” from the celebrity chef earlier this month, concluding that holding off on handshakes was the only way to repair the devaluing of the congratulatory token.
We’re glad to see he’s taken our advice.
‘The Jonathan Ross Show’ airs at 10.05pm on ITV.
'Great British Bake Off' Contestants 2018
Manon(01 of12)
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Age: 26
Occupation: Software project manager
Did you know? Manon was born in France but only discovered her passion for baking when she moved to London. (credit:Channel 4)
Rahul(02 of12)
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Age: 30
Occupation: Research scientist
Did you know? Rahul moved to the UK seven years ago on a university scholarship, and has developed a fusion style of baking. (credit:Channel 4)
Terry(03 of12)
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Age: 56
Occupation: Retired
Did you know? Terry is a former cabin crew member and also worked as a prosthetic technician. (credit:Channel 4)
Ruby(04 of12)
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Age: 29
Occupation: Project manager
Did you know? Ruby says she was inspired by her mother's Indian sweets as a child. (credit:Channel 4)
Luke(05 of12)
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Age: 30
Occupation: Civil servant/Techno DJ
Did you know? Sheffield-born Luke has been baking for 20 years. (credit:Channel 4)
Imelda(06 of12)
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Age: 33
Occupation: Countryside recreation officer
Did you know? Imelda applied for the show after being inspired by her mum, who taught her how to bake. (credit:Channel 4)
Jon(07 of12)
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Age: 47
Occupation: Blood courier
Did you know? Jon is a father of four and loves to bake for his family. (credit:Channel 4)
Antony(08 of12)
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Age: 30
Occupation: Banker
Did you know? Antony says he learned his baking skills from his father. (credit:Channel 4)
Briony(09 of12)
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Age: 33 Occupation: Unemployed
Did you know? She learned all her baking skills from watching YouTube videos. (credit:Channel 4)
Karen(10 of12)
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Age: 60
Occupation: In-store sampling assistant
Did you know? Karen's baking is inspired from the 15 years she owned a house in France with her husband. (credit:Channel 4)
Kim-Joy(11 of12)
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Age: 27
Occupation: Mental health specialist
Did you know? Born to an English father and Malaysian-Chinese mother in Belgium, Kim-Joy grew up in London before moving to Leeds, and says her heritage is reflected in her baking. (credit:Channel 4)
Dan(12 of12)
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Age: 36
Occupation: Full-time dad
Did you know? Dan has spent the last six years looking after his children but says he now wants to enter the tent as something for himself. (credit:Channel 4)