Paul Hollywood says ‘The Great British Bake Off’ series nine final was the "most relaxing" conclusion to the show so far.
The 52-year-old judge has teased fans they can expect to see a "calm" atmosphere in the famous tent when they tune into the finale on Tuesday night (30.10.18), which will see Ruby Bhogal, Rahul Mandal, and Kim-Joy face off against one another.
He said: "It was the most relaxing final this year, in fact it was quite calm.
"It’s down to the characters in the tent. It’s nothing to do with us judges, it’s to do with the bakers."
While temperatures have been known to rise in the ‘Bake Off’ tent at times, Paul admits some of the bakers hand him a "complimentary letter" when they depart the show.
He is quoted by the Daily Mirror newspaper as saying: "When they’ve left, they’ve written me a letter – a complimentary letter because when we’re critiquing their bakes, it’s never destructive criticism."
Paul recently admitted he has to leave the tent for 10-minute breaks when his co-stars have him "crying with laughter" from their saucy innuendos.
He said: "When Mary said something that was a bit fruity I had to walk out of the tent on more than one occasion because I was crying with laughter.
"They said, ‘Go back in,’ and I said, ‘I can’t. Just give me 10 minutes. I can’t, I’ll just crack up.’
"And Prue’s done it a couple of times, too."
Since ‘Bake Off’ began in 2010, some supporters have been in stitches at the innuendos – which included Mary often referring to a pie or tart’s "soggy bottom", and Prue has continued the tradition with her "sweaty bottom" description – but Paul insists such quips were not deliberate inclusion when the show began.
He explained: "We are a bit of a ‘Carry On’ team. It’s not deliberate and none of it was when we first started.
"But it’s fun, really good fun."
Paul Hollywood on ‘relaxing’ Bake Off finale
