Interview with Liam Charles

This is your seventh series judging Junior Bake Off. What keeps you coming back?

That makes me sound old! It’s always a great show to work on. Every year is different – the bakers, the challenges – and it’s always a pleasure to work with Rav and Harry and the team. I just never get bored of it. It doesn’t feel like work. Especially with the weather – it’s filmed in summer, so it’s a really good vibe.

What can we expect from this series?

There’s a really high standard of baking this year. There is some stuff this year that is absolutely delicious – to the point where Rav and I would take pieces of cake or choux buns home with us. It was that good. 

What were your favourite challenges this year?

One of my favourites was when the bakers had to make layer cakes inspired by desserts. Layer cakes were one of the first things I learned how to make, and I love desserts. I had a field day with that. And another was when they had to make giant party food. That was sick! That was really fun – seeing things that are normally miniscule made into massive confectionary. One of the bakers made a giant Jaffa Cake, and one of the others made their own interpretation of an angel cake. That was great. That was a really fun day. 

And there’s a brilliant mascot showstopper challenge – what did they have to do?

They all brought in their mascots, and they had to make them in cake form. For a first challenge, that was pretty tricky, but overall, they did really well. I’d say that about both the heats. With the cakes and the biscuits in the opening episodes of the heats, they all smashed it out of the park, really. Especially with biscuit day. Normally we tend to have a lot of gingerbread. I’m not saying we’re not massive fans of gingerbread, but the bakers really pushed the boundaries of flavour combinations this year, and didn’t just give us gingerbread, which was great. 

Did you have a favourite cuddly toy when you were young?

I was more into a Power Rangers sort of a vibe. They’re not necessarily cuddly, but if I had to pick a favourite toy that would have been a mascot when I was younger, definitely a Power Ranger, 100%. 

Which one?

Oooh, I had so many. But if I had to pick one, it would definitely be the red ranger from Power Ranger: Wild Force. I was a proper geek. I was such a nerd. I loved it so much. 

There’s a challenge where the bakers have to decorate a cookie illustrating where they think they’ll be in 20 years’ time. Where do you see yourself in 20 years?

Twenty years from now? That would make me – bloody hell – 48. What will I be doing in 20 years’ time? I don’t even know what I’ll be doing tomorrow! I do see myself still working in the food industry. A couple more shows underneath my belt. Some sot of progression. I’d like to have a holiday home somewhere. That would be sick. 

Maybe judging the 47th series of Junior Bake Off?

At 48 years old, probably not. It would be nice to get a cheeky little promotion to the main show. That would be sick. I see myself in the food industry, holiday home, probably a couple of kids. Wholesome family vibes, I reckon, in 20 years’ time. 

In another episode, they had to create cakes illustrating their worst nightmares. What would yours be?

What would my worst nightmare be? That’s a really good question…

Maybe it involves Manchester United?

Yeah, actually my worst nightmare is Man United getting relegated. Because last year we were 15th, and as much as we all like to think that we’d never get relegated, we were so close to it. That’s my worst nightmare, getting relegated, because most of my pals are Arsenal, so I would not hear the end of it. 

They also have to create their role models in bread. Who would you immortalise in dough?

It’s funny, I was asked this question on the show. I’d probably say my uncle. He’s a creative, similar to me, and growing up, whenever he had an idea for something, he’d always follow it through and execute something. 

Were there any challenges the bakers particularly struggled with?

Oh my gosh! [Laughs]. Oh my gosh! There was a technical, where they had to make sweet sushi, so they had to cook rice, and use tropical fruit, and make it look like sushi. It was sort of an illusion. And, across the board, all the bakers undercooked their rice. So they struggled with that.

That can’t have been fun to eat.

It was painful. It was a shame, though, because they achieved it in terms of visuals. We had a lot of crunchy sweet sushi rolls. 

Any unusual flavour combinations, or new fashionable ingredients?

Not really. As I get a little bit older, I’ve become a little bit more well-versed, in terms of ingredients. But it was nice to see the bakers using some more mature flavours. There was one baker who made a pandan chiffon cake. That was top tier.

What is pandan?

Pandan is this coconutty-aromatic-flavour-leaf-type situation. But if you add it into a cake – oh mate! – it’s so good. So good!

Do the bakers ever come up with bakes that you want to try making yourself?

Yeah, that cake I definitely plan to make. There were a lot of chiffon cakes this year, And chiffon cakes are really hard to make. So it was nice to see 13-year-olds doing something so ambitious. I normally shy away from stuff like that, because it’s a bit of a pain to make. But I ended up thinking “If the Junior Bakers are doing this, I’m going to bake some chiffon cakes at home.” 

What was the final like? 

It was a great final. They all did pretty well in the technical, so it was really tight going into the final challenge. They all brought their A-games, for sure. 

What moments made you laugh this year?

What’s really lovely about the show is that, in spite of it being a competition, the bakers all help each other. And then, as soon as we stop filming, everyone’s cracking jokes. And what’s funny is that, even though I’m 28, they see me as being sort of the same age as them. So they have banter with me. It’s pretty cool, it’s pretty funny. 

Do you think, because you’re the youngest out of you, Harry and Rav, that you’re slightly more in touch with the kids?

Yeah, I reckon so. One was a Man United fan, but he was also into fantasy League. So we chatted about that. I reckon, because I’m slightly younger, I can relate to them a bit more. Particularly the boys – they just like talking about football and stuff.

Does it get any easier, sending the kids home? 

No, not really. For a lot of the kids, it means so much to them. And the more you spend time with them, you start to develop a relationship with them. Sending them home is never easy. 

Is it worse watching the kids get sent home, because they get visibly upset, or the professionals, because it’s so important to their career?

It’s tougher to watch the pros get sent home. It’s weird, sometimes the kids take it better than the pros. They’ve got their careers and reputations on the line. And normally they’re representing some sort of establishment, so there’s a lot riding on it. Whereas with the kids, even though they love baking, they’ve got their whole lives ahead of them. Some of them might laugh it off, and be like “Great, I’ve got a summer holiday now.” But of course, some of them are visibly upset. But overall, the pros take it worse. 

The bakers do tend to drop an awful lot of their stuff on the floor. How do you feel about the three-second rule?

It depends on where you are. In your home, I reckon it’s a cheeky ten. Outside, if it’s on the floor, don’t pick it up. In the tent, three seconds is fine.

Did you get enough caramel this year?

Yeah, I got a decent amount. The kids are very good at trying to please Rav and me. And Rav does like caramel, but not as much as me. So there were a few times when a baker would do a peanut-butter-caramel-chocolate-type-situation, and they might smash it, but one of my critiques might be that I want a little bit more caramel, but that’s down to personal preference. But I would say, across the board, I got a decent amount of caramel. 

The show is all about kindness. Do you feel that message is more important than ever, in our fractured, noisy world?

Oh mate! Absolutely. I feel like we’re in an environment where people are out to get each other, and make them look stupid. This show is not that. It’s championing kids who love to bake, and it’s just pure. And I don’t think there’s a lot of shows like that on TV anymore. On social media, all the clickbait stuff is controversial or someone’s doing something outrageous. We need to stop paying so much attention to things like that. 

When it comes to judging, is it tricky to strike a balance between being kind to the children but also honest about any mistakes?

It depends on the baker. If you know they can take banter, or if they’re a little bit tougher and more well-versed, you can be a little bit more critical. But if they’re a little bit more sensitive, you need to get through to them without seeming mean. It’s all down to their personality. 

Do you and Rav ever disagree?

Yeah, 100%. 

How do you work through that?

We just talk about it, and come to a compromise. When it comes to the technical in particular, sometimes we might disagree on certain positions for the bakers, but then we come to a compromise. That’s why we work so well.

How would you have done on Junior Bake Off as a kid? 

I would have won it! [Laughs] Okay, being realistic, I definitely would have got through to the quarter-finals, minimum. 

When you were on the main Bake Off, you were almost young enough for the Juniors. 

Yeah, I was 19. I got to the quarter-final on that! 

How did you pass the time with Rav and Harry behind the scenes this year?

We gossip, we eat loads of food, we play music. We film each other being silly. Sometimes I have a cheeky nap, depending on how tired I am. 

I’m not surprised you get tired. Do you still get up at 5am to do exercise before you’re collected?

Yeah, I wake up at 5am or 5:30, my pick up is at 7am, so I smash it out for an hour. So by 1pm I am a bit tired, so I have a 20-minute nap, have lunch, and before you know it. It’s back on set. It’s balance, you know? 

Do you ever just roll over and give yourself another hour in bed?

I mean, sometimes I give myself another five minutes, but not an hour. Our job is eating, so I need to work that off. And it sets me up for the day, gets my brain ticking over. It gets me well-prepped for the day. That’s the main reason I do it. 

Were you messing about on the golf buggy again this year?

It was so annoying – I think they hid it from me. Or someone was always using it. Obviously I don’t have my licence, and I don’t think I’m insured either, so they definitely made sure I wasn’t on it. I didn’t get to go on it at all this year.

Any plans to learn to drive?

I always say this, every year. My brother recently learned how to drive, and he’s two years younger than me. He said “Bro, between the Pros and the Juniors, just do an intensive course, and before you know it, you’ll be driving.” Which is very true, but people have been saying this to me for years, and I still haven’t done it. It’s a good life skill, but I’m not really pressed. 

What’s your favourite thing to bake just now?

I can tell you the most recent thing of magnitude that I baked. I made my neighbour’s wedding cake this summer. That was fun, but stressful, because it’s someone’s wedding cake. The bottom tier was red velvet. The middle tier was like a Victoria-Sponge-situation.  And the top tier was chocolate. Then I had to get loads of flowers and stuff. He specifically asked for blue flowers, but there are a lot of blue flowers that are poisonous. So I had to go all around London to find blue flowers that weren’t poisonous, but I couldn’t find any. So then his mum dyed some gyp to make them blue. It was a good day, but I was so happy when that cake was finished, I can’t lie!

What new trends do you foresee in the baking world in the coming year?

A lot of people are getting into milk toast. I reckon there might be a resurgence of salted caramel. But that might just be wishful thinking on my part.