Bake Off's Paul Hollywood is unrecognisable without his beard


Part of Paul Hollywood's charm is with his beard, so it's surprising to learn that the Great British Bake Off host was once entirely clean-shaven


Paul Hollywood, with white hair and beard, wearing a blue shirt, looks directly at the camera.© ABC via Getty Images
Nicky Morris
Nicky MorrisDeputy Entertainment Editor
Updated: September 22, 2026

Paul Hollywood is famed not only for his 'Hollywood Handshake', but also for his signature white beard and silver locks, but he didn't always sport his trademark look.

Back in the 1990s, the Great British Bake Off presenter donned jet-black hair and was facial hair-free! The baker shared a throwback snap to his younger days back in 2022. In the caption, he penned: "Brother has just sent me this from 92/93 I think, no beard!!"

In the comments section, fans couldn't help but point out how well the TV star has aged. One person penned: "You're like wine. You get better as you age," while another added: "You were good looking then and even more good looking now!"

Paul Hollywood in the 1990s© @paul.hollywood/Instagram
Paul was beardless in the 1990s

Changes to Bake Off

Paul has amassed a legion of fans since appearing as a judge on Bake Off. The 58-year-old has starred on the reality competition show since it first aired on the BBC back in 2010.

While he initially appeared on the programme with Mary Berry and hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, the show welcomed new judge Prue Leith and presenters Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig after its move from the BBC to Channel 4. After Sandi's departure in 2020, comedian Matt Lucas joined the show before being replaced by Alison Hammond. Prue confirmed her departure following the 2025 series, with Nigella Lawson serving as her replacement.

The show is due to return for its 18th series, introducing a fresh batch of amateur bakers to the iconic white tent. For those unfamiliar with the format, it sees 12 contestants compete in a series of challenges in the hopes of impressing judges Paul and Nigella and being crowned Star Baker. 

Speaking about how the show balances its much-loved predictable format with shake-ups and changes, Paul previously told Time: "The bakers are the stars of the show, and they tend to lead how things progress. The format is pretty rigid. I suppose I'm the guardian of Bake Off. I don’t like change generally. So I like to keep things the way they should be. 

Nigella Lawson posed in red dress© Getty
Nigella has now stepped into the iconic tent

"Everybody knows about the feeling of Bake Off. And as soon as they step into the tent, they just adapt immediately. Bake Off is set in stone. So whichever host comes in just brings their little twist. And this year Alison and Noel [Fielding] were fantastic, and it was a really good laugh," he added. 

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