Q&A: Claire Hooper on The Great Australian Bake Off

Good, I’m so glad. I used to be speaking to some producers at present – I used to be performing some voiceovers, my favorite bit, the place I get to say issues like “Jeremy is baking a cheesecake flavoured with raspberry coulis”, or one thing like that. Let me let you know, 9 instances out of 10 I’ll have forgotten that you need to eat earlier than it, and generally they’ve truly picked up my abdomen rumbles on the recording. Anyway, I used to be speaking to the producers and we had been discussing, does everybody who watches the present bake? And I used to be like, completely not. Earlier than I used to be on this present I used to be one of many largest followers of the UK one, and I completely don’t bake. I admire the artform, however I believe most individuals watching don’t do it.

It’s a present the place everybody on it’s good at what they’re doing – they’re amateurs nevertheless it’s not beginner hour.

It’s not like that marriage present the place individuals are not good at marriage. You wouldn’t need to put people who find themselves good at marriage on that present.

In all probability by occurring that present they’re proving their badness at marriage.

It’s a little bit of a Catch-22: in an effort to be recognized match for the present, you have to be recognized unfit for the present.

However sure, even when you don’t know a lot a few topic, it’s all the time good to observe people who find themselves actually good at one thing do what they do. That’s what watching sport’s all about.

You’re proper! Oh man, I believe you may’ve simply captured what the present is: it’s like sport for individuals who don’t need to watch sport. And particularly cricket. It’s the tempo of cricket.

The British model actually brings to thoughts the village inexperienced in the identical method as cricket. However in all of the variations, wherever it takes place, Bake Off is a really constructive, upbeat present, the place individuals are good and supportive of one another. Is {that a} pure factor for you, or do you repress your pure cynicism?

Oh no, how dare you. However that’s a extremely fascinating query. There’s a variety of TV that requires stress and dramatic launch, and it requires individuals to be uncomfortable for lengthy durations of time, and I actually don’t assume I’d survive on a kind of reveals. I’m continually grateful on Bake Off that I’m allowed, if any individual appears to be like tense, I’m allowed to go in and defuse the stress. Whereas on one other present it’d be like “go away them, they’re about to interrupt, go away them”. I’d by no means be comfortable if we weren’t allowed to make everyone as comfy as potential. That’s why it fits me.

The Nice Australian Bake Off (season 5) premieres on Foxtel at 8.30pm on January 27.