- Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry used to judge The Great British Bake Off (known as The Great British Baking Show) together for seven seasons.
- Mary joined season 1 of the U.S. version The Great American Baking Show in 2015 and quit TGBBS in 2016.
- Paul will return as a judge on the 2019 Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition special, airing on ABC on December 12 at 9 p.m. ET.
Loyal fans of The Great British Bake Off and The Great American Baking Show know that Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry are iconic to the franchise. Not only are they both brilliant bakers, but their combined genius definitely helped make The Great British Bake Off (recognized as The Great British Baking Show in the U.S.) into the mega success it is today.
But much to the dismay of Bake Off lovers, Mary bid farewell to the BBC series in 2016 after seven years once Channel 4 in the U.K. poached the popular show. Despite the switchover with the U.K. version though, she stayed on as a judge on The Great American Baking Show for two seasons beginning in 2015.
Mary's exit was controversial for several reasons — in part, because Paul ended up staying on, while Mary and the show's presenters at the time, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, refused to swap channels, according to The Guardian.
At the time, Mary said in a statement:
"It has been a privilege and honour to be part of seven years of magic in a tent — The Great British Bake Off. The Bake Off family – Paul, Mel and Sue – have given me so much joy and laughter. My decision to stay with the BBC is out of loyalty to them, as they have nurtured me, and the show, that was a unique and brilliant format from day one. I am just sad for the audience who may not be ready for change, I hope they understand my decision.”
Within an hour of Mary's announcement, Paul came out with a statement of his own that immediately attracted criticism for not mentioning his co-judge. The statement clarified that the program had “been a huge part of my life in the past few years and I just couldn’t turn my back on all that – the bakers themselves, the bakes, the team that makes it, and of course the tent, the bunting, and who could forget … the squirrels.”
He continued: "I am delighted that I will be continuing as a judge when Bake Off moves to Channel 4. I want to thank the BBC and Mel and Sue for making my time in the tent great fun and really rewarding.”
In response to this statement, GBBO runner-up Ruby Tandoh called Paul a "peacocking man-child lingering wherever the money is." Many more on social media called Paul out for not saying anything about Mary. As Paul later clarified though, he didn't know about Mary's decision when his statement was released. As a follow up on Twitter, he made sure to give a special shoutout to Mary.
He also said in another statement: "Let there be no doubt: I have loved every minute of my time working with Mary. I have learned so much from her and we are great friends inside and outside the tent. That will not change. Knowing her as well as I do, I am sure she has made the right decision for her. I will miss her.”
Since then, Mary has revealed more details to The Radio Times about the show's move from the BBC to Channel 4. When asked if she had been attracted to the possibility of a bigger paycheck from Channel 4, she said, "No I wasn't. And anyway, I was never asked to go. I avoided being asked."
“It was suggested what would happen if I did go to Channel 4, what I would get, the advantages. But I didn't ever have a meeting with them. I'd made up my mind," she explained. "To me, it's an honor to be on the BBC. I was brought up on it."
Addressing Paul's decision to keep judging she said, "I would always stand by him. Paul and I had our differences about what was important to us, but he is a brilliant bread-maker and I admired him a lot."
On a separate occasion, Mary told Digital Spy that she would watch the Channel 4 version because she wanted "to see Paul because we're still great friends."
Meanwhile, Paul confirmed that the two stay in contact, despite her 2016 departure. "I'm in touch with the whole team as much as I have been for the last seven years. That's my answer," he said at a press screening, according to Digital Spy.
That aside, a separate Mary-Paul situation emerged this fall when the Great British Baking Show judge used Mary's signature "soggy bottom" line during an episode. "Honestly how DARE Paul Hollywood say the words “soggy bottom.” #GBBO," one fan tweeted. "You can't say "soggy bottom" anymore. Not since our Mary left.... #GBBO," another said.
Since then though, there hasn't been a lot written about Mary and Paul's relationship. Still, both have continued to excel in their own careers. Paul continues to be a well-known figure on both The Great British Baking Show and The Great American Baking Show, while Mary judges Britain's Best Home Cook and hosts her own TV series Mary Berry's Quick Cooking.
On November 13, Paul appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show and said he "loved" Mary, right before telling a hilarious story of how she once wrote "Love Mary" on his car. Looks like all is well between the iconic bakers.
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