Mary Berry is convinced her fellow Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood’s steely glare puts the fear of God into contestants.

For a fortunate few, the icy gaze is a decoy, followed by a grin and a wave of praise for the goodies in front of him. More often than not, though, it’s the prelude to his takedown of the bake.

But underneath the grizzly image lies an ever so slightly soft centre.

“No one chastises themselves more than the contestants and that’s been the case this year,” said 50-year-old Paul, who lives near Canterbury.

“They get really down about it. Nadiya Hussain, last year’s winner, recently said she got upset about one of her bakes and I’d whispered to her, “It’s only a baking show, it doesn’t matter.”

“The big, horrible person that I am, what you don’t see is I’ll go and have a word with them quietly.”

But with more than 14m viewers tuning in to see Nadiya crowned winner, a reported 19% increase in the number of people baking (according to Waitrose) and cooking essentials flying off the shelves, evidently the Bake Off is more than just your average TV competition.

Now back for a seventh series, both judges feel this year’s batch of contestants are more nervous than ever.

Mary, 81, said: “They were slower to settle down this time, because all the people that enter have watched the previous years.”

If they look like they’re feeling the pressure, her co-judge is only too happy to help.
Paul said: “About three or four programmes in I play the theme music for Bake Off on my phone as they walk in the tent and it freaks them out. It suddenly dawns on them where they actually are!”

There are no shortcuts to curry favour though. “The contestants always look at what recipes both of us have done, because they think it will favour them in the judging,” said Mary. “But it doesn’t.”

Jittery as the bakers are, comedy is in ready supply, courtesy of in-tent hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc’s rapid-fire innuendos.

“The first challenge we did, the first thing out of Mary’s mouth was, ‘Nice crack’,” recalls Wallasey-born Paul. “That set the tone. It was hilarious.”

Neither host seems distracted by all the tempting treats lying around the tent, either.
“I’ve never been on a diet,” says Paul. “I’ve never said I’ve been on a diet, never been on a diet, never will go on a diet. I’ve been training because I race cars now, so I’ve been doing a lot of weightlifting and boxing.”

Much is made of the almost mother-son relationship between the pair, helped in no small part by the latter’s admission that his co-judge has been known to iron his shirts during the series.

Hollywood’s teenage son Josh, keen baker though he is, is less impressed by the series.
“He comes along to Bake Off every year, threatened with no pocket money for 10 years if he says anything at school about the winner,” Paul said.

“A lot of people want to talk to him about Bake Off, especially when it’s on, but he just says, ‘No, not interested’.”

And when it comes to seeing his dad at work, he’s no more enthusiastic.
“’Oh I’m going to Bake Off again’,” says Paul, adopting a bored tone. “It’s funny the way kids react.”

Mary adds: “It’s a great strain being away from home although going to Bake Off is like joining the family.”

The new series of Great British Bake Off is back on Wednesday nights.