Nigella Lawson's Bake Off debut prompts memes about her cake bites
Nigella Lawson has joined Bake Off as Prue Leith’s replacement, and viewers are joking online about one very visible tasting habit.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
2 min read
Nigella Lawson Bake Off memes are already arriving with the new judge’s first episode, with viewers making light of how she takes bites from the bakers’ creations.
Lawson has replaced Prue Leith for the 17th series of The Great British Bake Off. NBC News reported that her debut was received positively overall, even as posts on social media zeroed in on her enthusiastic way of eating the cakes and other bakes she was judging.
The jokes were about that on-screen mannerism, rather than an assessment of her judging. NBC News cited individual posts as examples of the reaction, but they do not establish a measure of wider audience opinion.
Why are viewers making Nigella Lawson Bake Off memes?
The meme posts followed shots of Lawson tasting baked goods during the programme’s opening episode. For some viewers, the size and style of her bites became the comic detail that travelled online after the broadcast, according to NBC News.
It is familiar territory for Lawson. NBC News noted that she had previously drawn viral attention for her pronunciation of “microwave” on the BBC cooking programme Cook, Eat, Repeat.
Who did Nigella Lawson replace on Bake Off?
Channel 4 confirmed in January that Lawson would take over from Leith, BBC News reported. Leith, who had been a judge on the competition since 2017, said it felt like the right time to step back.
Lawson joins returning judge Paul Hollywood. Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding are back as the show’s hosts, BBC News and Metro reported.
When the appointment was announced, Lawson said she felt daunted by following Leith and former judge Mary Berry, while also describing herself as excited and honoured to join the programme. Leith said she was pleased Lawson would take the role, according to BBC News.
When did the new series begin?
Series 17 launched in the UK on Sept. 22, according to Metro. The opening episode aired that week in Britain, while NBC News reported that the US release, where the show is called The Great British Baking Show, was scheduled to arrive on Netflix that Friday.
In the UK and elsewhere, the programme is known as The Great British Bake Off. The name changes for the US release, but the tent, the tasting and, now, the online jokes remain part of the opening-week conversation.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.