Prue Leith hits out at Bake Off co-stars as Alison Hammond joins the show

BAKE Off’s Prue Leith is baffled by her male co-stars’ saucy gags.

And she’s delighted new host Alison Hammond has helped limit the lad banter.

Baker Prue, 83, said: “I’m just glad to have another woman there because I’ll tell you what, those three men together, half the time I didn’t get the jokes because I never get innuendos.

“A word like sausage would set them off.”

Alison, 48, has taken over from Matt Lucas — alongside Noel Fielding plus judges Prue and Paul Hollywood.

Prue said: “Alison’s attitude is just so positive. There’s a lot of laughing with her. She’s learning a lot.”

The Channel 4 stars will film the Christmas special in July “in a heatwave in festive jumper”, said Prue, adding: “Then we have all the Stand Up 4 Cancer ones, Paul and I do American Bake Off so I pretty much eat cake until the end of August.”

- Prue also revealed the cast, who started filming last month in the famous Bake Off tent, in the grounds of Welford Park, Berkshire, were also learning sign language so they could communicate with the show’s first deaf contestant.

Speaking at Kite festival, in Oxford, last weekend, she added: “I’m not very good at the sign language, but Paul is.”

A telly source added: “Production is working really hard to make the contestant feel included and the stars wanted to make an effort to learn sign language on the show by getting a teacher.

“They’re all having a go and making headway with basic communication skills, bosses are really pleased everyone has been keen to join in.”

In 2019 Bake Off: The Professionals deaf pastry chef Sam Widnall and his colleague Adam Cleal, from Wales, competed.

They communicated by writing notes to each other and have worked out a message system.