The country’s resident Baker-in-Chief Paul Hollywood is to be rewarded by the BBC for his cracking ‘Bake Off’ figures, with his very own car show.
The new series, according to the Sun, will involve Paul, a known motoring enthusiast once in the frame to host ‘Top Gear’, visiting a host of other countries across Europe to learn about their own car cultures.
The Sun quotes a BBC source claiming: “Paul is a huge petrol-head as well as a big hit with viewers, so the chiefs are confident this will be a success.”
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Paul Hollywood's passion for cars almost matches his feelings for bread
BBC
True enough, Paul has almost as much experience behind the wheel as he does in front of the oven. Last year, he qualified second at the Britcar Trophy Championship at Silverstone, and also competed at Le Mans.
The BBC will be keen to keep their viewing motoring enthusiasts happy after the disastrous reboot of ‘Top Gear’ earlier in the year. The returning series, which saw Chris Evans replace Clarkson and co at the helm of the BBC’s most globally successful show, suffered poor ratings, and tireless criticism of its new host.
Chris stepped down from the role after the final credits ran, and the BBC have intimated they are no longer searching for a replacement host, but are planning to beef up the roles of other faces including the popular Matt LeBlanc.
And, of course, the juggernaut looms… Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are preparing to debut their big-budget offering on AmazonPrime, with the first episode of ‘The Grand Tour’ set to air some time this autumn. The series will see the popular trio host each episode from a big tent in a different country, with their live audience recordings intercut with familiar-enough packages. One bit of footage recently saw them being greeted like saints in an Italian village.
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The BBC need a motoring success
BBC
Oh, and we should mention Dermot O’Leary’s BBC One gameshow ‘The Getaway Car’, themed around motoring. The Saturday night entertainment offering aired from January this year, but received mixed reviews. No news yet on a second series, and Dermot is back in the embrace of ‘The X Factor’, so the BBC will have its fingers crossed that, instead, Paul Hollywood can do for Bugattis what he’s done for buns in the British consciousness.
Tap the first picture below to open our slideshow:
'Top Gear': Possible Replacements For Chris Evans
Nigel Farage(01 of15)
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A pint-loving smoker who has his head stuck in the 1940s previously proved to be a success on the show, so why not employ someone exactly the same person?
Nigel Farage has virtually the same political views as Clarkson, so he'd probably be a good fit. Plus he's in technically unemployed now that he's resigned as UKIP leader. (credit:Isabel Infantes/EMPICS Entertainment)
Guy Martin(02 of15)
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The motorcycle racer has already emerged as the bookies' favourite to succeed Chris, with odds of 8/1 with William Hill. (credit:Channel 4)
Katie Hopkins(03 of15)
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If you're looking for someone who doesn't mind being purposefully offensive, look no further than Katie Hopkins. The controversy magnet hits the headlines more often than all the 'Top Gear' stars put together, normally because she's offended someone/a large group of people. (credit:Matt Crossick/Matt Crossick)
Piers Morgan(04 of15)
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If you've ever seen one of Piers' epic Twitter spats with Clarkson, you'll know he's remarkably similar in many ways. The same fashion sense, a similarly smug face, and all the rest of it. (credit:Matt Crossick/Matt Crossick)
Suzi Perry(05 of15)
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She's a massive car nut and has already cut her chops hosting the BBC's Formula One coverage, plus it's about time we evened up the gender ratio on the show. (credit:Doug Peters/Doug Peters)
Kanye West(06 of15)
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Potentially the only ego bigger than Chris Evans'. Or Clarkson's. (credit:Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)
Angela Rippon(07 of15)
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She did so well presenting it in 1977, why not bring her back? (credit:Doug Peters/Doug Peters)
Steve Coogan(08 of15)
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The veteran radio host's alter ego Steve Coogan is quite the petrol-head, having appeared on the show several times. But wouldn't it be great for the man from Norwich to take you around the 'Top Gear' track whining about "POWERRRR" is his trademark nasal voice? (credit:Doug Peters/Doug Peters)
Matthew Perry(09 of15)
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Because you doesn't want to see an on-screen reunion of Friends' Chandler and Joey, right? (credit:Ian West/PA Wire)
James Martin(10 of15)
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The telly chef, who is a big car fan, admitted he had talks about joining the BBC car show last year, but was tied to his commitments with 'Saturday Kitchen'. However, he's now quit his role as host of the cookery show, which could pave the way nicely for him to finally land the job. (credit:Hannah McKay/PA Wire)
Philip Glenister(11 of15)
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The 'Life On Mars' star was strongly rumoured to be joining Chris Evans last year, but the rumours proved to be unfounded. This could be his chance. (credit:Joel Ryan/AP)
David Hasselhoff(12 of15)
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The Hoff admitted he'd "love" the gig when it was up for grabs last time around, and he does have all that experience driving KITT in 'Knight Rider'. (credit:David Davies/PA Archive)
Jake Humphrey(13 of15)
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Jake has already fronted F1 coverage for the BBC and is a regular on the sport presenting scene, so is more than qualified for the job. (credit:Richard Sellers/EMPICS Sport)
John Inverdale(14 of15)
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Who better to take over from Clarkson's controversy-laden style than the man who brought us "rose-c***ed spectacles"? (credit:Mike Egerton/PA Archive)
Boris Johnson(15 of15)
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Well, he could do with a job. (credit:Matt Dunham/AP)