Ms Lawson has joined the popular TV show as a judge, replacing Cotswolds resident Dame Prue Leith, who joined back in 2017.

Dame Prue had replaced Dame Mary Berry, who lives in Henley, when the programme switched from the BBC to Channel 4.

Oxford University graduate Ms Lawson is the latest to step into the role and will judge alongside Mr Hollywood, who has been present since the show’s inception.

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This month, both judges were pictured together for the first time ahead of working together in a viral social media post.

As an April Fools’ joke, Ms Lawson uploaded a photograph of herself with Mr Hollywood to her Instagram page.

She jested: “AN ANNOUNCEMENT: I know you were led to believe that I would be joining Paul Hollywood on Great British Bake Off, but, as you can clearly see, we are in fact a hard-bitten, seen-it-all detective (PH) and a lugubrious forensic pathologist (NL) solving crimes in the Ruhr Valley.

“My hair and make-up by Tricia Woolston; Paul’s his own!”

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Paul Hollywood. (Image: PA)

Fans welcomed the “announcement” well, with many making subsequent jokes about the duo in those would-be crime drama roles.

“Crime Bruleé…the new hit detective drama coming soon,” said one commenter.

Another added: “Cakespeare & Meecrowahvay.”

Pastry chef Nicola Lamb quipped: “I think it was Professor Plum in the tent with the offset spatula.”

In just over a week, the post has amassed over 60,000 likes.

The Spice Girl and her husband, former Manchester United and England footballer Sir David Beckham, have lived in Oxfordshire for around a decade.

The couple, who have a Cotswolds mansion in Great Tew near Chipping Norton, have been embroiled in a public family feud for some time now.

In January, this came to a head as their eldest son, Brooklyn, made explosive allegations in a lengthy Instagram post.

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He claimed that his mother “hijacked” his first dance with his wife, Nicola Peltz, and danced “inappropriately on me” in front of their guests, adding that he had never felt more “uncomfortable or humiliated” in his life.

And he also alleged that his wife had been “disrespected” by his family and was not invited to his father’s 50th birthday party.

Now, according to a report in The Mirror, Brooklyn is aiming to “claw back” ownership of his own name from his mother.

“Victoria trademarked the Intellectual Property for his full name in 2016-17 in order to protect him, and ensure no one else could exploit his famous name,” a source told The Sun, as referenced by The Mirror article.

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“It certainly wasn’t a malicious thing, and the view was that Brooklyn could do with it what he wanted in adulthood, but from Brooklyn’s perspective, it was yet another example of control being displayed over him.

“He feels infantilised and just wants to claw back control over the most simple of things — his name.”

The source added that despite not making a decision on the matter yet, Brooklyn is “weighing up all his options”.

Prospective candidates have until 4pm today (Thursday, April 9) to submit their nomination papers.

After this, the city council will verify and publish the official statement of persons nominated on its website tomorrow (Friday, April 10).

Voters across Oxford will go to the polls on Thursday, May 7, to elect councillors to represent wards covering the city.

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Oxford City Council has a portion of seats contested in most years, with successful candidates serving four‑year terms.

With 48 councillors in total and two in each of 24 wards, half the seats, equating to one councillor per ward, are elected every two years.

Once the nominations are confirmed, residents will be able to see who is standing in their ward, along with party descriptions and any registered independent candidates.

Poll cards are being issued to registered voters, confirming their polling station and reminding them of the date of the election.

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Anyone not yet on the electoral register still has time to sign up ahead of polling day, and there are options to vote by post or proxy, subject to the usual application deadlines.

On election day, polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm, with counting expected to take place overnight or the following day.

The results will determine the political makeup of Oxford City Council for the coming two years.