Paul Goes To Hollywood

Despite his rumoured megabucks deal to move with Bake Off to Channel 4, and a recent stint filming in LA,the baker boy insists he hasn’t forgotten his roots...

- Christine Smith

The Great British Bake Off may have moved to Channel 4 but judge Paul Hollywood has never been busier. as well as preparing for the return of the iconic white tent with a new co-judge – rumoured to be Prue Leith – and hosts, Paul, 51, has been flying around the world for his solo TV series, City Bakes. and as well as making sure he spends quality time with his wife, alex, and teenage son, Josh, at home in Kent, there’s also a new BBC car series in the pipeline, plus the chance to tick one of his own dreams off the bucket list and drive in the prestigious Le mans car racing championship…

‘A lot of people think my surname is made up. It can be annoying because it’s obviously not and has been around a long time. And as the name is attached to LA and California, as a boy I used to get a lot of stick. Boys would say, ‘Who do you think you are? Do you want to be a big star?’ Never in a million years did I ever think as a child growing up that I’d end up filming in Hollywood! But when the chance to make a new series of City Bakes came up, we all said Hollywood had to be done. What’s really struck me about being in LA is everyone wants to look after themselves because it is such a temperate climate. They feel they have to look good because the sun is always out and they’re always wearing bikinis. Over in Britain, we tend to cover up and it’s only when summer approaches that we think about going on a diet. I had never thought about that before and it’s been really fascinating.’