Great British Bake Off 2018 to see changes, Paul Hollywood says

Great British Bake Off 2018 will see some changes, Paul Hollywood has said.

The new series is expected to begin at the end of the month on Channel 4.

It’ll be the second to air on its new home after moving from BBC One last year.

Speaking ahead of the 2018 run, judge Paul says that the show will be going “back to basics” with some of the challenges.

“This year we have gone back to basics on a couple, because we were getting a bit over-complicated,” he said. “Sometimes it’s not just about the bakers in the tent, it’s about the people in the UK who watch the programme.”

Paul told The Guardian: “We want to encourage the viewers to bake. And it’s worked, thus far. Everyone’s got the baking bug, at some level.”

Alongside Paul, restaurateur, food writer and novelist Prue Leith will once again be joining The Great British Bake Off when it returns to screens this year.

Meanwhile, GBBO hosts Sandi Toksvig OBE and Noel Fielding will also be back.

Noel said that being their second year together would hopefully make things more relaxed.

He explained: “Last year we were under an enormous amount of pressure to not ruin this sacred show that everyone loved, so we weren’t as worried about the bakers, we were just trying to make sure we didn’t destroy our own careers.”

As yet, Channel 4 hasn’t confirmed the 2018 Bake Off start date but the show is expected to begin at the end of August or early September.

The first series to air on Channel 4 last year aired on Tuesday nights at 8PM.

Meanwhile, The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice is returning with Jo Brand staying as host.