When it was confirmed that The Great British Baking Show would be getting a U.S. spin-off — with its own hosts, but carrying over beloved judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith — it was a testament to the success of the internationally popular, cosy reality series that seemed to resonate so deeply with audiences.
It also came with some rather intriguing questions. Would the series retain its quintessential British-ness? Would they be able to find hosts as charming and cheeky as the ones BBC Two (and then Channel 4) had appointed? And most importantly, would Americans be as talented in the tent as the Brits?
On that final question, Hollywood has an idea. “[Americans] are not better, they’re different,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. In celebration of season four of The Great American Baking Show — now streaming on The Roku Channel — we made a trip to the tent ourselves. At the U.K.’s Pinewood Studios, perched just outside of London, THR caught up with Hollywood and Leith during the shoot in the summer of 2025.
“They use a lot of whisked sponge, they use a lot of banana, they use a lot of pecans,” he continues. “They use things that we use in the U.K., but not to the extremity as the Americans do. That’s the big difference. Their taste palette is a bit different to us.”
Leith, who recently announced she’d be stepping down from hosting duties on the hit series, concurs. “I think that Americans, by and large, like things to be sweeter than the Brits, and bigger. Big and sweet. It’s been interesting today because we asked them to do a cake, which could have been a little cake, and they ordered enormous cakes — you know, four-tier jobs.” And it’s not just differences in their culinary skillset. Leith has also noticed that the Americans bring a bit more energy to the tent. “They do a lot more clapping than the British,” she tells THR, “the Americans tend to be a bit more American [and] loud,” she laughs.
We’re talking in between takes — and complimentary pastries — on showstopper day, where tension is high across the picturesque garden scenery here at Pinewood. You might be fooled into thinking that the Baking Show universe is a quaint, serene undertaking. While it is quaint and serene, it is also a massive operation with a vast crew and just 10 bakers whittled down from over 1,200 applicants. It is, in fact, something of an empire.
The contestants are most likely to slip up on timing when it comes to the showstoppers. “When you’re practicing at home, you know where everything is, and you’re doing it late at night, when the kids are in bed, nobody interrupts you,” explains Leith. “When they come in here, they’re interrupted constantly. They don’t know where everything is in the same way as they know their own kitchens, and it’s more difficult.”
Hollywood, however, thinks the more challenging task for the bakers is their own imaginations. “I think they run out of creativity, and they don’t spend enough time on the artistry side of baking to make them look good, to make them your showstopper,” he says.
Thankfully, The Great American Baking Show has two devilishly distracting hosts at hand to make sure the participants are juggling as many plates as possible. Andrew Rannells and Casey Wilson also set aside time to speak to THR about what makes the show so cherished by viewers. Rannells, who joined the franchise as a celebrity contestant on the Celebrity Summer special, is in his first outing as co-host alongside Wilson, who has been in the gig since the first season. He’s taking over from Severance‘s Zach Cherry.
Even away from the tent and this season’s bakers, the pair can’t help but joke and jest. Rannells, known for The Book of Mormon on Broadway and HBO’s Girls, is considering why The Great British Baking Show and its U.S. counterpart remain so beloved. “I think there’s something really lovely about the tone of everything, the setting of it, the speed of the show. I think in America, we’re used to competition shows feeling like it’s just a kick to the gut,” he says. “It’s overwhelming, even if you watch American Idol. So it’s really nice to watch a show where people are competitive, but nobody’s screaming.”
“It’s pretty gentle, I think,” says Wilson, star of SNL. “Especially during the pandemic. I think a lot of Americans really found it, and even if you don’t bake, just put it on. It’s like a warm hug.” Rannells adds: “Paul and Prue are so encouraging… But maybe there’s something in my DNA about the withholding [and] wanting positive feedback. Explains most of my dating life.”
They quickly found they’d struck up a rapport with the judges, too. “People [think Paul] has this persona, but I just find him truly, genuinely hilarious,” says Wilson about Hollywood. Rannells adds about Leith: “She’s really funny. They’re both very dry, but Paul gets kind of goofy in a way that I think would surprise people. I mean, not for anything that I did. I did make him hug me the other day. I came out strong!”
Wilson admits she was thrilled to learn her friend and former co-star (they played a married couple on Showtime’s Black Monday) was to be beside her for season four of The Great American Baking Show. “He’s a dream,” she beams. “Everyone loves Andrew. He’s so sweet and fun, and I just knew his tone would be perfect for this, because he’s so warm and friendly, but funny.”
Rannells says that even just from the time he filmed the Celebrity Summer special, he knew it would be a lot of fun hosting with Wilson. “We are the same level of deranged [and] enthusiastic. Yes, I was like, ‘Oh, this is gonna, this could become unhinged very quickly.’”
The judges — who have seen numerous host partnerships over the years — are unfazed by that unhinged-ness. In fact, they’re all for it. “He’s a real tonic,” Hollywood says about Rannells joining the cast. “Because Casey and Andrew know each other outside work, so that dynamic really shows in the tent — that there is a bond.”
Leith chimes in to say that it’s also not important whether the hosts are good bakers themselves (much to Wilson and Rannells’ relief). “They have to be likable and like people,” she says. “They have to appreciate the tensions that the bakers are under, because they become their kind of outlet. They’re almost like a therapist. You have to put an arm around them occasionally and tell them, ‘No, you can’t leave!’”
All episodes of The Great American Baking Show: Season 4 is streaming on The Roku Channel from May 11.
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