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.”
— ScubaSteve (@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
https://twitter.com/beth_butler_/status/906844214893453313
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.”
https://twitter.com/PaulHollywood/status/906843162873868288
Something tells us Mary Berry still might not be too pleased.