The Great British Bake Off may be about as G-rated as Netflix‘s adult offerings get, but that didn’t stop one of the judges from getting himself into hot water this weekend.
A photo of celebrity chef (and famously critical bread chewer) Paul Hollywood decked out in head-to-toe Nazi regalia hit the internet this weekend after British tabloid the Sun unearthed the pic:
#GBBOf’s Paul Hollywood stunned pub drinkers after turning up dressed in full Nazi officer uniformhttps://t.co/sJr27CcI5X pic.twitter.com/MsCaOKQvdZ
— The Sun (@TheSun) September 10, 2017
While he’s observably in a bar, standing next to another costumed guy in military gear, the photo made the internet wonder: Is there ever an appropriate time to dress up like a Nazi? Twitter seemed divided on the issue.
https://twitter.com/Stephen_A_Moody/status/906846549950582785
Twitter - "Paul Hollywood dressed as a Nazi for fancy dress. He should be ashamed."
— Klopp's Umbrella (@qui_gon_stim) September 10, 2017
Me - pic.twitter.com/SjMQUBuRFl
can't believe I've been forced to google "paul hollywood nazi" this early in the morning
— matt (@yoloswag2k12) September 10, 2017
Bet it was Mary Berry who leaked the pic of Paul Hollywood dressed as a Nazi as revenge for leaving her for channel 4 pic.twitter.com/viNK0Dq25Z
— ✨ (@beth_butler_) September 10, 2017
For his part, Hollywood tweeted an apologetic explanation Sunday. Apparently the outfit was part of a group costume depicting the characters of ‘Allo ‘Allo!—an ’80s British sitcom about a French cafe owner trying to ride out World War II.
“I am absolutely devastated if this caused offence to anyone,” Hollywood wrote in a screenshot. “The picture was taken 14 years ago on our way to a [comedy TV show’s themed] New Year’s Eve party and a group of us dressed up as characters from the classic TV show ‘Allo ‘Allo. Everyone who knows me knows I am incredibly proud of the efforts of those, including my own grandfather, who fought against the Nazis during the war.”
In response to pictures which appeared in the Sun today, this is my statement: pic.twitter.com/HbM6N75ygN
— Paul Hollywood (@PaulHollywood) September 10, 2017
Something tells us Mary Berry still might not be too pleased.