Jaws Star, And His City Hands Get Stuck Into Celebrity Bake Off For Cancer
As a camera pans up showing the familiar white bake off tent in glorious sunshine we hear the chords of the Jaws theme by John Williams. So far, so interest piqued higer than a hand-made merinque.
We hear Bake Off presenters, Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding mention some of the films of Hollywood guest baker Richard Dreyfuss. Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Goodbye Girl get thrown into the mix as films he is known for.
But mainly Jaws, chips in Noel, a bona-fide Jaws fan and follower of The Daily Jaws. "I love Jaws."
He's then reviewed to be wearing a shark outfit. Clearly excited, he asks Sandi if he can just go say hello to him in the costume. Denied.
"What if I looked up behind him? He replies, before adding: "I could fill the tent with water and bite his ankles. He's got beautiful ankles, I think that's why he won an Oscar." a makeshift fin then crosses the screen. Cue titles.
It does seem somewhat surreal that one of the main stars of Jaws is stood baking in. A tent opposite Bianca from EastEnders (Patsy Palmer), Jay from The Inbetweeners and Scarlett Moffat (perhaps best known for Gogglebox). I wonder if her mum is Mary Ellen?
And if we are surprised and delighted to see Richard Dreyfuss in equal measure then just watch the face of co-presenter Noel Fielding. The huuuuuge Jaws fan just looks as thrilled as we all would. You just can't help but smile, and that is something we all certainly need at the moment.
When Dreyfuss is introduced it is in voiceover by Noel, naturally. Dreyfuss - his usual self deprecating self - then addresses the camera and says: "I've only baked by accident, I left my hand inside the oven for 20, 25 minutes."
The first challenge was to make a roullard, essentially a fancy name for a swiss roll. Dreyfuss goes for a dark chocolate and whipped cream creation, inspired by his love of dark chocolate.
Asked by Judge Prue Leith if he is enjoying the Bake Off experience he says he is enjoying the heck out of it. Fellow judge Paul Hollywood then asks him why hi is doing this. After all, you don't often find a Hollywood actor and Oscar winner in the Bake Off tent. Dreyfuss said: "Because Robert Shaw dared me too."
Don't get me wrong, we figured there would be the odd Jaws reference, but never expected a Robert Shaw name drop. Even after all these years he is still heeding advice from the late actor and stepping out of his comfort zone. Brilliant!
Naturally, Twitter went into a bit of a meltdown, the official Bake Off Twitter even saying that Robert Shaw would would on their fantasy Bake Off line up!
Dreyfuss is on top form, until it comes to rolling his roullard, it resembles more of a chocolate calzone. Thankfully Jaws super fan Fielding is on hand to compliment his work and ask him a question or two. Noel is in his fan boy element, and who can blame him. His grin is almost bigger than the Bake Off tent.
He asks Dreyfuss about his Oscar win, saying: "I read somewhere that when you won your Oscar, you were younger than Brando when he won his?"
Richard: "Yes, I was 29."
Noel: "So, was he a hero?"
Richard: "Oh yeah. When he died I was performing on the stage he did Streetcar. So I slipped out of the curtain call and I said in his hoinur, one, two, three...the whole audience, STELLA! Everyone was crying."
Task over, and although his creation doesn't look the most appealing, Dreyfuss is upbeat saying:" Well, I consider this a success, as the last time I tried to cook anything it ended up on the ceiling."
The judge's verdict: Delicious and the sponge is beautifully light.
Hilariously, Dreyfuss takes a big fork full once the judges leaves - typical Hooper - and says: "They are so right!"
Next up it is the technical challenge, which has been set by Paul Hollywood, and is two make six canoli to be filled with an orange and ginger cream.
As the celebrities get on with the task in hand we have Noel knocking shark targets down with a rubber band whilst uttering this immortal Jaws lines "I'll find him for three, but I'll catch and kill him for ten."
Time is almost up, when Fielding shouts over to Dreyfuss, who is still finishing off: "You worked with Spielberg, you've got another 30 seconds."
The judging is. Kind on this task, so Paul and Prue don't know who has made which batch. They comment that Richard's look untidy and as if they have been dropped, but that they have a nice middle. Dreyfuss came in third in that round.
And so onto the third act, or the showstopper challenge as it is known in these parts, which this week is a cake that represents the celebrities favourite place.
Dreyfuss returns to his back catalogue for his inspiration, Hooper's shark cage perhaps? Sat round the table with Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw? On Stakeout with Emilio Estevez? None of these things, he's taking it from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which Paul Hollywood says is his all time favorite film.
It's called Richard's Close Encounter Volcano and is dark chocolate sponges coated with chocolate ganache, that will form a volcano, in homage to The Devils Tower.
As Dreyfuss is busy with his mixing bowl he is approached by Noel Fielding again, Dreyfuss says: "Hello, you vampire you."
Noel: Sorry to creep up on you, have you ever played a vampire? "
Richard: "No, I wouldn't mind playing someone you didn't know was a monster until the end."
Noel: "Obviously Jack Nicholson did that, do you know Jack?"
Richard: "I do. When I won the Academy Award, I walked on stage and he was standing there and he said, 'I bet you were glad I wasn't up for anything this year.' And he was right."
Even though Richard impressed the judges, and himself, with the tastes he created, the aesthetics of his baking efforts sadly took him out of the running for star baker, finishing third (ironically) behind Patsy Palmer and deserved winner James Buckley.
This Bake Off wasn't about winning, it was the taking part and raising awareness and money for the fight against cancer. It also couldn't have aired at a better time, a time when we all need something to forget the worries of an an uncertain world and enjoy something as light and fluffy as the baking of Richard Dreyfuss. You can't help but watch the episode and smile, smile like a son of a bitch.
