BAKE IT EASY
Bake Off star Paul Hollywood made shock request to producers when filming advert
The Compare The Market TV ad sees him as a Tinseltown superhero recruited by meerkats Aleksandr and Sergei
WANNABE superhero Paul Hollywood harnesses all his strength as he prepares to be hoisted in the air for a new Compare The Market TV ad.
The Great British Bake Off star, who was pretending to be flying, loved the experience so much, he wanted to do more stunts.
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But producers politely knocked him back for safety reasons.
I exclusively revealed in April how Paul had signed up to promote the site’s 2-4-1 cinema deal.
The ad, which airs tomorrow, sees him as a Tinseltown superhero recruited by meerkats Aleksandr and Sergei based purely on his surname — with disastrous results.
A TV insider said: “There was one stunt where he had to wear a harness — something which, understandably, he had never had to do before in his career as a baker.
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“It saw him hoisted safely into the air on a crane as part of the stunt, and Paul enjoyed the thrill so much, he asked to be taken even higher.
“Thankfully, it was a polite no from the production team and crew as safety is their number one priority, and the most dangerous parts of any scenes have to be carried out by experts.”
In the ad, Paul arrives on a film set to be introduced as Mr Hollywood himself, leading Aleksandr to comment: “Clooney’s let himself go.”
But the star’s excitement soon fizzles out when he is thrown through a window, catapulted into the air and is almost blown up.
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He finally quits as he’s chased by Sergei with a fire extinguisher, telling him: “You’ve got a soggy bottom.”
Bake Off’s biggest scandals from bin gate to Paul Hollywood’s x-rated snap
Paul, who is back in the GBBO tent this summer for a 15th series, joins Nicole Kidman, Macaulay Culkin and Arnold Schwarzenegger as stars who have featured in the comparison site’s adverts.
JOAN TOO GLAM FOR MIRIAM
MIRIAM Margoyles says she turned down a job with Dame Joan Collins – because the Hollywood legend is too well-groomed.
The outspoken actress reckons the pair would have clashed over Dame Joan’s love of glitz and glamour.
Miriam told the Bradford Literature Festival: “I have been asked to be in a television show with Joan Collins, but I turned it down. Have you seen her?
“Always immaculately turned out; never a hair out of place.
“And I’m not like that. You may have noticed.
“Joan is all about the external. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it just wouldn’t have worked.”
I thought opposites were meant to attract?
DAMIEN'S THE NEW SLEUTH
BRASSIC star Damien Molony is set to lead a revamped series of Bergerac.
He will head to Jersey and transform into detective Jim Bergerac for the six-part season on UKTV, which starts filming later this month.
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Damien said: “I’m incredibly excited to be stepping into the role. John Nettles has left an incredible legacy with big shoes to fill.”
ZOE Wanamaker will play his on-screen mother-in-law Charlie Hungerford, and Philip Glenister plays Arthur Wakefield.
Killing Eve’s Robert Gilbert, Bodyguard’s Pippa Haywood and Casualty’s Sasha Behar will also feature in the show, which air on U&DRAMA in 2025.
Based on the BBC original, which ran between 1981 and 1991 – this version takes a modern twist, with one character-led murder mystery across the series.
OH JOE, YOU SILLY SAUSAGE
JOE Swash put filming on hold after giving himself food poisoning on Jimmy Carr’s game show, Battle In The Box.
The former EastEnders star was trapped in the box room – with a toilet, toothbrush and telly – in the new series, in which celebs compete in challenges or risk their space shrinking.
But after attempting to cook pork sausages on top of a toaster, and then insisting on eating them, Joe was left feeling decidedly unwell.
A TV insider told me: “There was no oven in the box, but Joe was determined to have those sausages.
“He was left dashing for the loo – forcing producers to temporarily halt filming.”
Battle In The Box airs from July 16 on U&Dave.
DINGLE'S FIRED UP FILMING
EMMERDALE’S super soap week each October never disappoints, but it will go some way to top 2022’s stampede of killer cows.
Sam Dingle almost lost his life after he became impaled on a tractor’s forks trying to escape the rampant herd.
But Jeff Hordley, who plays Cain Dingle, told me there’s even more to come this year, saying: “The stampede was amazing! But try having a camera stuck to you in three walls of fire.
“We’ve started filming super soap week and I love doing the stunts. We’re given an option of a stuntman but if they feel it’s safe enough for me to do it, I’ll go for it.”
Jeff won’t be checking what fans think of his performance online, though.
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He added: “I don’t look at social media. I don’t want to get dragged into that world.
“Some young actors use social media to gauge what the reaction is to a storyline. But it’s usually negative – people can be crushing.”