Great British Bake Off host Paul Hollywood to challenge Top Gear’s Matt Le Blanc in motor race
PAUL HOLLYWOOD wants BBC shows Great British Bake Off and Top Gear to face off – on the race track.
The bread-making king has challenged MATT LE BLANC, host of the BBC2 car show, to a battle to raise thousands of pounds for Children In Need.
Speaking exclusively to Bizarre TV, the Bake Off judge said: “Matt’s a real petrolhead. I didn’t realise how much he was into cars. I think he’s done really well on Top Gear.
“I was like, ‘Really? Matt LeBlanc?’ but when I saw him I was like, ‘He’s good’.
“He knows how to drive a car, I know that much.
“I’m happy to race him if he wants to race me.
“I’ll do that for Children in Need — Bake Off versus Top Gear.”
Despite a huge love of cars, Paul insists he has no desire to help Matt with the presenting duties on Top Gear in place of CHRIS EVANS, who quit after one series.
He’s far too happy eating cream buns with MARY BERRY.
Paul, who is an amateur GT race driver in his spare time, said: “I do a lot of car programmes for the BBC, with the programme on John Surtees for Racing Legends a couple of years ago.
“Last year, I did a programme on Aston Martin and I’ve come up with a few other ideas so I like doing my own thing, really.
“Top Gear is Top Gear and for me to get involved would be very difficult as most of my life is taken up with baking.”
Paul, who is gearing up for the return of Bake Off on Wednesday, appeared on the revamped motoring show earlier this year to test-drive a Mini. But he hit some dreadful weather on the test track, ruining his race time — so he is keen to give it one more shot.
He continued: “I did Top Gear live years ago with Jeremy, James and Richard, and I did the new series, which was great fun.
“I’d love to have another go when the track is dry.
“I was a bit upset before as when I went round, there was a swimming pool in the middle, which hindered me.”
Let’s just hope it’s dry and he doesn’t finish soggy bottom of the leaderboard.
Judges get all dolled up
RIZZLE KICKS once branded LOUIS WALSH a puppet.
Now it seems the pop duo’s prediction could be spot-on.
Louis and his fellow X Factor judges will appear in the second series of ITV’s puppet show, Newzoids, this September.
They have all been transformed into hilarious caricatures for DEBRA STEPHENSON and JON CULSHAW’s impressions show.
I’d say they bear a strong resemblance – aside from Louis’ giant eyebrows, SHARON OSBOURNE’s missing bottom lip and NICOLE SCHERZINGER’s Kat Slater-inspired dress.
SIMON COWELL, who made an appearance in the controversial first series, will also return alongside former judges CHERYL and NICK GRIMSHAW.
I wonder if Simon pulled a few strings . . .
Viewers decline C4's Dine
CHANNEL 4 is turning into a dinner table bore.
The broadcaster has screened 430 episodes of Come Dine With Me so far this year across all of its channels.
That’s too much even for hardcore fans of the cooking show, let alone standard viewers.
The glut of episodes have been aired despite figures showing that audiences have dropped by HALF over the past five years.
In its prime-time slot alone, Come Dine With Me has been shown 191 times this year, despite an average audience drop from 1.63million to 786,400.
On a single Tuesday, FIVE episodes were shown.
The show was revamped last year to allow couples to take part, giving more ammunition to witty narrator DAVE LAMB.
But even that hasn’t stopped the popularity slide.
Stick a fork in it, Channel 4 – it’s done.
Posh kit is recipe for fury
THINGS seem to be going from bad to worse since JAMES MARTIN left Saturday Kitchen earlier this year.
Viewers are outraged that the BBC1 programme – which is meant to give viewers ideas for dishes to cook at home – is now using super-pricy equipment to whip up recipes.
During Saturday’s episode, chef GALTON BLACKISTON with LORRAINE PASCALE, used machinery costing almost £2,500 to make a dish. Frustrated foodies took to Twitter when the
Michelin-starred chef used a vacuum-packing machine (costing £1,300), Thermomix (£885) and a water bath (£285, inset) for his rainbow trout recipe.
One complained: “Hmm seems like a great recipe . . . shame i don’t have a bloody vac pac and water bath in my kitchen!! #saturdaykitchen.”
I wonder if Galton’s rainbow trout comes with a pot of gold?
Soapbox
BETH and Kirk Sutherland’s road to their Eighties-themed wedding was anything but smooth on CORRIE.
And the couple faced another blip after he heard her bitching about his prospects at the school reunion.
But the pair are about to be rocked by an even more explosive storyline as Beth is charged with bigamy.
She’s hauled out of Underworld in handcuffs in scenes that send shockwaves through Weatherfield.
And later she is dragged through the courts where she’s given a £150 fine and a community service order.
But it doesn’t end there for poor Beth as her ex-hubby Darryl heads to the cobbles to stir up some trouble.
A source said: “The news that Beth is married already is tough enough for Kirk to accept. But then he’ll have to confront the man she married.
“Darryl turning up will further complicate their efforts to get over this, and viewers will have to wait and see if they can. It certainly won’t be plain sailing.”
Beth isn’t the first woman on Corrie to be accused of bigamy – Eve Sykes tied the knot with Fred Elliott while she was still married to Ray.
I say, I say.
Must watch
WHAT? Make My Body Better with DAVINA McCALL, Channel 4, 8pm.
WHY? Davina helps people trapped by their medical conditions to transform their lives. Tonight features a woman who has had night terrors for seven years.