Despite this year’s Bake Off being ‘the most exciting yet’… Paul Hollywood admits he still sneaks off for naps on set

PAUL HOLLYWOOD has revealed that this year’s Bake Off contest has one of the most nail-biting finals in its history.

The show returns tonight for its seventh series after an amazing 15million viewers saw Nadiya Hussain crowned top UK amateur baker last year.

And Paul tells how he and co-judge Mary Berry are surprised by the new contestants’ “amazing” ideas.

In an exclusive interview, he says: “We have a crop of really good bakers this year. I think every year the pressure is on them more and more.

"Bake Off gets bigger and bigger and last year we peaked with Nadiya winning.

"This year the standard was very, very good and I can put my hand on my heart and say it has one of the best-tasting finals we’ve ever had.”

But Paul believes that as the show’s popularity grows, the pressure on contestants has also risen.

As in The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, those entering the baking tent now have to cope with the eyes of the nation watching their every whisk and it is a life-changing event for some.

Former housewife Nadiya, 31, has had a whirlwind year, landing book deals and TV presenting roles. She even baked a cake for the Queen’s 90th birthday.

Paul, 50, adds: “I think the pressure always happens at the start, just to get used to the tents.

“They come in as good amateur bakers — they can’t just come in as average bakers because there are so many applicants that you have to be a decent baker.

“I think this year they start off a little bit nervous overall, with the show being so big last year. They’re all fully aware of what they’re on and Bake Off is so huge now.

“I’m sure there must be an element of, ‘This could change my life.’

"Years ago I saw a job for head baker for The Dorchester hotel in London and I didn’t want to move away from the North West.

“But then I thought, ‘I’ve got to do this for my career,’ because I was very ambitious. So I went for it and got the job.

“I think it’s the same for Bake Off. These people have grown up baking for their family and friends and they’re all saying, ‘You’re really good and you should do the Bake Off’.

“I think they’re setting themselves a challenge. I think there are so many things that they have to do and when they walk into the tent they must think, ‘Oh, wow’.

“It didn’t happen so much in the early days because it was still a growing programme but I think with the hype and attention it gets, they know it will change their lives.

“No matter where they come from, whether they come first or tenth, it will change their lives.”

With the stakes so high, it is no wonder that the contestants now do their homework — studying previous shows and devising recipes they know the judges will like.

Both Paul and Mary, 81, find the creative recipes so hard to fault that it comes down to the technical challenges to decide who will go through to the next round.

Producers have also added a new themed skill week to the ten episodes devoted to baking cakes, patisserie and bread as the dozen amateurs attempt three challenges.

Paul explains: “This year they surprised me more and came up with some really amazing ideas.

“There were some flavour combinations that I was a bit worried about but they came up great.

“I think they watch Bake Off, which is understandable, and they watch to see what we like.

“I’m a massive fan of lime and so is Mary actually and then we get variations of lime in recipes creeping in. I thought, ‘That’s a bit cynical but OK.’

“People have learnt what Mary and I prefer, but I think the technical challenges this year are a little bit straightforward.

"But I think they’ll surprise a few people.

"Some of them are out there and people would never have heard of them and other people would have heard of them, so we found a nice blend between things that are achievable and things that are a little challenging.

“We need to challenge them to see how good they are.

“The max technical challenge is four or five hours. We did an overnight one a few years ago but because we blind-judge them, it’s one of the fairest challenges you can do.

“This year it was very, very close and it came down to the criteria for deciding who wins. We may say it has to be four tiers, or have an element of chocolate, or has to have caramel.

"It comes down to “who has done this?” for who goes through and who leaves and that is really tricky. It is really, really close.”

Away from the tent, Paul says he likes to relax in his favourite ­armchair while the presenters Sue Perkins, 46, and Mel Giedroyc, 48, tease him about his love of motorsports.

The four of them have been a close team since the show launched on the BBC six years ago and their on-screen chemistry is one of the main reasons for its success.

Mel and Sue’s crude baking innuendos with mentions of “toasted nuts”, “cracks”, “soggy bottoms” and all manner of things happening to contestants’ “plums” leave them struggling to keep straight faces.

Paul adds: “We have a green room where we all go and hang out in between shoots. I have a chair that sits in front of the telly and most of the time, to be honest, I’ll be sleeping.

“But Mel and Sue always say that I watch the Formula One, even though it’s not on all the time. If it’s on, I like to watch the racing. Sue just rolls her eyes!”

But for Scouser Paul, the real highlight of taking part in the show is inspiring both the amateurs competing in the tent and those eagerly watching in their kitchens.

He says: “The beauty of Bake Off is that it’s a family show. Mary and I love doing it because we want people to bake at home.

"Sales of bakeware have gone up for people wanting to do it at home and the amount of pictures people tweet me of their bakes is unbelievable.

“It’s a great way to bring people together and kids love baking, which I’m really pleased about.

“All the bakers come back for the final and it’s a close-knit group. There’s no back-biting and I don’t think you get that with other shows. It feels like they’re doing it as a group or a team

“Each one is on a journey and they learn so much that by the end they are a better baker than when they start.

"They learn so many techniques and styles that they almost become professional bakers."