“When it was announced that I was doing it, some people thought: what the hell is he going to do? Wear a top hat and throw all the cakes on the floor?”
The clues that Noel Fielding, best known as co-creator of psychedelic farceurs The Mighty Boosh, would not wreck The Great British Bake Off with his oversize comedy presence have been there since the very first publicity shot (above).
It’s all about the hair. Gone was the wild mane – instead, his long locks are now luscious, pristine, beautifully conditioned and sensibly parted, signifying a new primetime persona as he joins new co-host Sandi Toksvig, new judge Prue Leith and perma-tanned Paul Hollywood, smiling and holding a cupcake.
Along with Sandi Toksvig, Noel Fielding is pitch-perfect in the opening episode of series eight
Fielding still claims he is more comfortable playing “a merman with a vagina” than overseeing bakers in an oversize tent – but, along with Toksvig, the 44-year-old is pitch-perfect in the opening episode of series eight.
Perhaps it is because Bake Off, like Doctor Who, say, is a near-perfect format. And with a format this strong, key players can be switched without the show losing its magic. Just as the Doctor can be transformed as actors switch but the joy of adventures in time and space continue to tantalise, so Bake Off essentially relies on selecting a dozen bakers and watching them rise.
The key is the temperature setting in the Bake Off kitchen. And Fielding and Toksvig set their personality ovens to toasty warm. If Toksvig is the quickest, keenest wit in British comedy, all wordplay and fiery intelligence, then Fielding is one of our more ethereal mirth makers. His comedy is wilfully off-kilter and depends on a keen eye for the absurd – but while Fielding floats like a butterfly, he rarely stings. And this is vital for Bake Off’s continued success.