Why Reddit Can't Stop Talking About Paul Hollywood's Accent

It's no surprise that Paul Hollywood was given the momentous opportunity to host "The Great British Bake Off" given his extensive and illustrious career. According to his website, Hollywood was born into a family of bakers and went on to bake at many luxury hotels before writing cookery books and starring in TV shows. He originally trained as a sculptor, so it's little wonder that the pristine presentation of cakes is a major concern of his.

Despite this successful history, there's one thing above all else that is interesting to commentators on Reddit — Hollywood's strong accent. After the famous baker appeared on the U.S. talk show "The View," one user posted to Reddit to ponder where Hollywood might have developed his distinctive voice.

Wondering if they have gone "crazy," the OP believes that Hollywood actually speaks with an Irish accent, and suggests that he convincingly disguises it while appearing on "The Great British Bake Off." Redditors are debating this theory, but the OP is convinced they are correct.

Many on the Reddit post are disagreeing with the idea that Hollywood hails from Ireland. "I always thought he was from Merseyside," says one Redditor, while others believe him to be from Liverpool. In fact, one user states that he speaks Scouse, suggesting that the dialect could have been influenced by Irish people living in Liverpool.

Although the original poster appreciates that they might have attributed the wrong accent to Hollywood, they still appear adamant that he tones it down for "The Great British Bake Off." Another replier backs this thought up, offering that Hollywood could alter his speech in order to seem more "mainstream."

According to the Independent, the host's heritage shows that he has some Scottish roots, with relatives heralding from the Highlands and Glasgow. Smooth Radio reports that he was born in Wallasey, on the Wirral in the U.K., a place where the BBC explains the scouse accent is prevalent. Babbel Magazine details that scouse came to prominence in Liverpool, and is a mixture of English, Welsh, Norwegian, and Irish dialects — perhaps justifying the confusion with correctly identifying Paul Hollywood's accent.