Do we like Paul Hollywood?
Our score: 7 out of 10. A few clumsy remarks he apologised for, a speeding conviction and a messy ex-partner dispute, but no campaigning against anyone.
Hollywood is a baker by trade who became a household name as the handshake-dispensing judge on The Great British Bake Off. Fame hasn't sat easily with him. In a 2022 interview he called it “horrendous” and said you have to grow a very thick skin.
The old skeletons first. In 2017 The Sun published photos of him in a Nazi uniform, taken at a 2003 pub fancy-dress party. He apologised, saying he was “absolutely devastated if this caused offence”, and pointed to his grandfather fighting the Nazis. Campaign Against Antisemitism noted his quick apology and said it expected no further action.
Then the foot-in-mouth moments. In 2019 he called a dessert “diabetes on a plate” on air, then apologised on Instagram, calling it “thoughtless” and saying he meant no harm. He also said both his grandad and his mother had the condition. It's a gaffe rather than a pattern, and he owned it.
On the harm check, the closest thing to an LGBTQ+ stoush is the 2020 rainbow bagel episode. He said the rainbow colours represented the NHS, and queer viewers objected that it erased the Pride flag. No response from him turned up, and it reads as clumsy rather than hostile. Searches for anything on trans rights, climate, vaccines or politics found nothing, so there's no campaigning or conspiracy slide on the record.
The messy bit is his split from a former girlfriend in 2019. She alleged he made defamatory statements about her online and said she'd instructed lawyers to seek vindication. His solicitor said he'd asked her to sign an NDA as standard practice. The piece describes a threatened action, and we found no outcome, so treat it as an unresolved he-said, she-said.
The recent news is a speeding conviction. Worthing Magistrates' Court heard he was clocked at 96mph on the M25 in January, and he pleaded guilty in writing. He got five points and a fine, and police alleged he tailgated other cars, a charge that was withdrawn. He said he was rushing his sick cat to the vet, and his lawyers said speeding was no excuse. Meanwhile Nigella Lawson has taken Prue Leith's seat in the tent.