Alison Hammond has opened up about why she was “really upset” with Paul Hollywood during the filming of The Great New Year’s Bake Off, which is a Scottish special.
As soon as Emmerdale’s Chris Bisson was crowned champion in The Great Christmas Bake Off soap special, there was barely a moment’s respite before the New Year’s edition loomed on the horizon.
Anticipations are high as Scottish contestants from previous series will gather once more for a Hogmanay edition inside the iconic Bake Off tent. Nicky, Peter, Lea, Kevin, James, and Norman are due to return, whipping up scrumptious confections that pay tribute to Scotland.
Embracing the Scottish theme wholeheartedly, the judges and presenter were decked out in themed attire and even ensured the mood was set right with a traditional ceilidh band brought in for an authentic touch.
Despite the joyous atmosphere, Alison couldn’t hide her slight irritation towards legendary judge Paul Hollywood for his sartorial decisions, reports Birmingham Live.
Her jovial comments included: “Oh, it was brilliant, it was so much fun. I’ll get up on my feet and start dancing. I’m straight in there.”
She quipped about Paul’s outfit choice by adding, “Paul wore a kilt… and so did Prue. Well, she wore a tartan skirt… And Paul did wear his pants underneath. We were really upset!”
Nicky, familiar from the last series, also made a comeback which delighted Alison, who fondly referred to her as one of her ‘first Bake Off babies’, remarking how wonderful it was to reunite.
The contest heats up from the very beginning, with contenders initially tackling the Signature bake, featuring a classic but potentially divisive dish, followed by the Technical task set by Paul and Prue, challenging the bakers to perfect a timeless Scottish treat, shortbread.
In the Showstopper, our bakers whip up a cranachan masterpiece, paying homage to the traditional Scottish dessert that typically blends oats, whisky, honey, raspberries and cream.
Alison, who became part of the Bake Off family in 2023, was left in fits of laughter during the show’s Christmas special. The festive episode saw a star-studded line-up including EastEnders’ Natalie Cassidy, Coronation Street and Emmerdale’s Bisson, EastEnders’ Dean Gaffney, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks’ Sheree Murphy, and Coronation Street’s Shobna Gulati vying for the holiday title.
During the episode, Natalie, known for her role as Sonia Fowler in EastEnders, shared with Alison a piece of advice she received from June Brown, who played Dot Cotton. Brown had told her, “darling, it’s like pooing a melon”, when she was set to give birth on-screen as Sonia Fowler at just 15 years old.
This Morning presenter Alison has been celebrating her impressive 11-stone weight loss recently. She opened up to Good Housekeeping magazine about how she began working with a personal trainer twice a week after discovering she was pre-diabetic.
She revealed: “”Just before she died, mum said to me ‘If you can, sort out your weight, Alison’ and that really set it in my head. My mum had type 2 diabetes and she was worried for me, so when I then found out that I was pre-diabetic, that was frightening. I thought ‘I have to be an adult about this’. The sweets had to stop and the fatty foods.”
The Great New Year’s Bake Off is set to air at 7.40pm on Channel 4 on Friday, January 3.