Nigella Lawson to replace Prue Leith as head judge on The Great British Baking Show
Channel 4 has named Nigella Lawson as the new head judge of The Great British Baking Show, taking over from Dame Prue Leith and joining Paul Hollywood for the series’ upcoming 17th season. Lawson, 66, said she was “bubbling with excitement,” while Leith, 86, praised her as “sassy, fun and knowing her onions.” Channel 4’s chief content officer called the pairing “the marriage of two Great British icons.” The series has faced criticism since 2020 for leaning into spectacle-driven challenges, impossible technicals and controversial themed weeks that critics said moved the focus away from home baking.
Longstanding format changes and a shift in tone after the show moved from the BBC to Channel 4 in 2016 helped fuel an identity crisis, and presenters and judges have rotated frequently in recent years. Original figures such as Mary Berry did not move with the show to Channel 4; Dame Prue Leith stepped in from 2017.
United Kingdom