When it was confirmed that The Great British Baking Show can be getting a U.S. spin-off — with its personal hosts, however carrying over beloved judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith — it was a testomony to the success of the internationally well-liked, cosy actuality sequence that appeared to resonate so deeply with audiences.
It additionally got here with some reasonably intriguing questions. Would the sequence retain its quintessential British-ness? Would they be capable to discover hosts as charming and cheeky as those BBC Two (after which Channel 4) had appointed? And most significantly, would People be as gifted within the tent because the Brits?
On that remaining query, Hollywood has an thought. “[Americans] are not better, they’re different,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. In celebration of season 4 of The Nice American Baking Present — now streaming on The Roku Channel — we made a visit to the tent ourselves. On the U.Okay.’s Pinewood Studios, perched simply exterior of London, THR caught up with Hollywood and Leith through the shoot in the summertime 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 internet hosting duties on the hit sequence, 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 simply variations of their culinary skillset. Leith has additionally observed that the People convey a bit extra power 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 speaking in between takes — and complimentary pastries — on showstopper day, the place pressure is excessive throughout the picturesque backyard surroundings right here at Pinewood. You may be fooled into pondering that the Baking Present universe is a quaint, serene endeavor. Whereas it is quaint and serene, it’s also a large operation with an unlimited crew and simply 10 bakers whittled down from over 1,200 candidates. It’s, actually, one thing of an empire.
The contestants are almost definitely to slide up on timing on the subject of 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, nevertheless, thinks the more difficult activity for the bakers is their very 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.
Fortunately, The Nice American Baking Present has two devilishly distracting hosts at hand to verify the members are juggling as many plates as attainable. Andrew Rannells and Casey Wilson additionally put aside time to talk to THR about what makes the present so cherished by viewers. Rannells, who joined the franchise as a star contestant on the Celeb Summer time particular, is in his first outing as co-host alongside Wilson, who has been within the gig for the reason that first season. He’s taking on from Severance‘s Zach Cherry.
Even away from the tent and this season’s bakers, the pair can’t assist however joke and jest. Rannells, recognized for The E book of Mormon on Broadway and HBO’s Women, is contemplating why The Nice British Baking Present and its U.S. counterpart stay 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 provides: “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 shortly discovered 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 provides 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 study her good friend and former co-star (they performed a married couple on Showtime’s Black Monday) was to be beside her for season 4 of The Nice American Baking Present. “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 simply from the time he filmed the Celeb Summer time particular, he knew it might be a number of enjoyable internet 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’ve seen quite a few host partnerships over time — are unfazed by that unhinged-ness. The truth is, they’re all for it. “He’s a real tonic,” Hollywood says about Rannells becoming a member of the forged. “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 additionally not necessary whether or not the hosts are good bakers themselves (a lot to Wilson and Rannells’ aid). “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 Nice American Baking Present: Season 4 is streaming on The Roku Channel from Might 11.
