‘The Great British Bake Off’ Names Nigella Lawson As New Judge
The Great British Bake Off is hoping Nigella Lawson can rise to the occasion as its new judge.
Lawson, a fixture of British TV cooking for decades, known for her comforting and often sumptuous recipes, is to replace Prue Leith, who announced she was leaving the Bake Off tent last week.
Lawson will join Paul Hollywood in presiding over contestant bakes on the hit series, which streams on Netflix in the U.S. under the title The Great British Baking Show.
In a statement, Lawson said: “I’m uncharacteristically rather lost for words right now! Of course it’s daunting to be following in the footsteps of Prue Leith and Mary Berry before her, great dames both, but I’m also bubbling with excitement.
“The Great British Bake Off is more than a television programme, it’s a national treasure – and it’s a huge honour to be entrusted with it. I’m just thrilled to be joining the team and all the new bakers to come, I wish the marvellous Prue all the best, and am giddily grateful for the opportunity.”
Leith has worked on Bake Off since 2017, when the series moved from the BBC to Channel 4 in the UK. Leith replaced Mary Berry, who was a judge alongside Hollywood when Bake Off first launched in 2010.
The cooking competition remains an enduring ratings winner, with the best-performing episode of Season 16 being watched by 8.7M viewers, putting it in the top 10 shows of 2025.
Lawson’s Bake Off move is a return home of sorts. UK network Channel 4 launched her TV career in 1999 with the series Nigella Bites. She has since presented several BBC series and appeared on U.S. shows, including Bravo’s Top Chef and The Taste on ABC.
