Oxford News
Bake Off winner gives warning over Prue Leith departure
In January, it was announced that Dame Prue, who lives in the Cotswolds, would bow out of the Great British Bake Off after nine series and judging more than 400 challenges.
The 86-year-old has been a judge on the popular baking show alongside Paul Hollywood since 2017, when the series moved from the BBC to Channel 4, replacing Henley resident Dame Mary.
It was then announced on Monday, January 26, that Oxford University graduate Ms Lawson will replace her as the judge on the Bake Off.
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Now, former Bake Off winner Matty Edgell, who proved victorious back in 2023, has given an inside look at Dame Prue, naming her the “good cop” of the tent.
In an exclusive interview with Lottoland amid the 2026 Celebrity Great British Bake Off, the ex-contestant opened up about his experience with the judge during his time on the show.
“Prue’s so lovely,” he said.
“She’s kind of what I imagine my nan would be like now in terms of how she delivers her messages. That’s probably the biggest compliment I can pay to her.”
“Even when she’s criticising you, you can see it in her eyes. She’s not trying to tear you apart, she’s just doing her job.”
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“She genuinely wants you to succeed, and she’d never lie to you. When we got to taste everyone’s bakes at the end of each challenge, you could always see what the judges saw.”
When comparing Paul Hollywood and Dame Prue, Mr Edgell shared, “Paul could definitely be more cruel with his criticism.”
He added: “It’s definitely a case of good cop, bad cop, and I know exactly which one was which.”
Matty also reveals he figured out how to win Dame Prue over with his bakes by using alcohol in the ingredients.
“For Prue, in the end, I was covering everything with alcohol, like dousing it all in alcohol,” he said.
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“I don’t really bake with alcohol, but towards the back end of the competition, if my back was against the wall, I’d find a bottle from somewhere.”
With rumours of Dame Prue venturing to Bake Off America, Mr Edgell said, “She knows exactly what she’s doing.”
“If she took on the American version, I’m sure she’d be a great fit.
“She’s got the experience, and I think she’d really enjoy the challenge of a different country and a fresh perspective.”
Nigella Lawson will take on Dame Prue’s role as judge alongside Paul Hollywood when the Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 later this year.
The garden has been developed at Folly View Primary School and is designed to support pupil wellbeing, creativity, and personal growth by providing a calming and engaging outdoor space.
Funding for the project was secured through a £1,500 grant from the Tesco Community Grants scheme, made possible by votes from shoppers using blue tokens at the Faringdon store.
Muddy Spades, a local gardening business led by Royston Oxendale, also played a key role in bringing the garden to life by donating plants and building bespoke planters for the space.
Richard Evans, chief executive of Cambrian Learning Trust, said: “This wonderful sensory garden is a testament to what can be achieved when a community comes together with a shared purpose.
“At Cambrian Learning Trust, we are proud to see Folly View Primary School bringing its core values of belonging, kindness, and aspiration to life in such a meaningful way.
“This space will not only enhance pupils’ wellbeing but also inspire curiosity, resilience, and a lifelong love of learning.”
The garden will also support the school’s gardening club, offering pupils hands-on opportunities to care for plants and learn about the environment.
The school has thanked Tesco Faringdon, Muddy Spades, the PTA, and everyone involved in turning the garden into a reality.
UNESCO first adopted March 21 as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
The heritage organisation said: “World Poetry Day is the occasion to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media.”
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This time on Looking Back, we’ve found a selection of fantastic poetry celebrations in Oxfordshire from the year 2014, now 12 years ago.
Language lovers converged for the day of celebration on bookshops, schools, at recitals and conferences.
Take a look back through this Oxford Mail archive gallery to find pictures from a decade ago of World Poetry Day celebrations in Oxfordshire.
We’ve made a gallery of pictures showing all the Oxfordshire spots which have been used for TV and film sets over the years.
Some of the biggest productions filmed here in Oxfordshire include Spectre in the James Bond franchise, which transformed Blenheim Palace in Woodstock into the Palazzo Cardenza in Rome.
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Many period dramas were also created in the county, like the BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, which was partly filmed at Chastleton House in the Cotswolds.
Cotswolds villages have been repeatedly transformed and used as filming locations for their historical appeal, like the villages of Brill, Broadwell and Castle Combe.
Find all the pictures in this archive gallery of historic Oxfordshire filming locations here.
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