Paul Hollywood Revealed Why One GBBO Change Was So Hard

Paul Hollywood is one of the world's most famous bakers. He's published a few books on bread, pies, and puddings, and he's also contributed to The BBC Good Food Magazine, The Telegraph, and The Observer, per his website. Hollywood has been a judge on the popular baking competition "The Great British Bake Off" since its inception, helping excited and nervous contestants make their dreams come true by judging delicious cakes and show-stopping bakes in the iconic white tent that's located in the idyllic British countryside.

On the show, the contestants seem to be the happiest when they're presented with a Hollywood handshake, the judge's signature move of extending a palm to the participants who deserve a firm handshake after presenting a solid bake. That handshake has even been trademarked by "Bake Off" execs, who plan to launch numerous products with the gesture printed on the packaging of knives, food processors, and even oven gloves (via Metro). But it's not all smiles, good moods, and laughter on GBBO, as Hollywood recently revealed that there were some tough changes during the filming of the series.

In an interview with The Times, Hollywood talked about the "horrendous" experience he had when "The Great British Bake Off" moved from the BBC to Channel 4 in 2017. Three of the show's originals, judge Mary Berry and presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, opted not to continue their GBBO journey at that point and were replaced by judge Prue Leith and hosts Noel Fielding and Sandi Toskvig. However, Hollywood remained — for a 200% raise. Hollywood told The Times that he was "called every name under the sun" when the news came out, and he revealed that he actually cried because of it. 

Although people made negative comments about Hollywood's move to Channel 4, the star suggested that he just got tougher over time and accepted his semi-villainous role in some people's eyes. But that's all in the past now, as the popularity of "The Great British Bake Off" never waned, even after its move. Plus, Prue Leith is going to join Hollywood on the American version of the show called "The Great American Baking Show," and we're going to be able to see it on The Roku Channel as one of the new Roku Originals (via Reality Blurred). We can only hope that Hollywood's experience of filming the new show in the U.S. will be stress-free this time around.