Great British Bake Off ratings rise for Nigella Lawson's first episode

The Great British Bake Off saw a bump in ratings for its first episode as celebrity chef Nigella Lawson joined the judging panel. Nigella replaces Prue Leith for the seventeenth season of the show that sees a new batch of bakers test their talents in the famous Bake Off tent in a bid to take home the top prize.

And it seems the launch episode hit the spot with audiences, with 3.4 million tuning in, a whopping 300,000 more than the 3.1 million who watched last year's season's first episode.

According to Broadcast Now, it fell just behind the 3.6 million who tuned into the first episode of the 2024 edition, but it is still the strongest launch since 2020's eleventh season.

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Nigella has been showered with praise since joining the show, being hailed the "icing on the cake" of the latest season (via The Times).

In Digital Spy's own review, we said Nigella was a "brilliant addition" to the line-up, while The Telegraph said she gave the Channel 4 series a "new lease of life" and that "Bake Off and Nigella are a match made in heaven".

In their five-star review, The Guardian noted that Nigella "moves through Bake Off dispensing words of wisdom, generous praise and gentle criticism".

They added that she was "just as confident as Leith but a much quieter, more soothing presence that works perfectly with Alison Hammond's ebullience and Paul Hollywood's teacher-ish vibe".

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Ahead of joining the show, Nigella shared a video on Instagram teasing the latest season, admitting she was a "bit nervous".

She wrote in the caption: "I’m a bit nervous, very excited, and extremely happy: Bake Off is back on our screens next month! I’ve loved every minute. It’s a real honour to be part of something so special."

The Great British Bake Off airs and streams on Channel 4.

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Freelance Reporter, Digital Spy Rebecca is a freelance journalist who specializes in TV and film. After beginning her career as a digital entertainment journalist for the Express & Star and Shropshire Star, she embarked on a freelance career in 2021 contributing to the likes of Metro UK, The Sun, WhatCulture, Screen Rant, FilmHounds Magazine and more. Her particular field of interest is horror cinema and she has written for genre publications such as Ghouls Magazine and Moving Pictures Film Club. LinkedIn