Paul Hollywood Eats Mexico: Channel 4 air date, what is GBBO star’s show about, how many episodes are there?

Baker Paul Hollywood is set to front a new Channel 4 food programme showing his culinary and cultural journey in another country.

In the show, the celebrity chef and TV personality - who is most well-known for being a judge on The Great British Bake Off -  will travel around Mexico to immerse himself into different cultures and cuisines in the North American country.

The programme, called Paul Hollywood Eats Mexico, follows on from his foodie trip to East Asian country Japan in Paul Hollywood Eats Japan, which aired on Channel 4 in 2020.

So, what exactly will happen in the series, and when will it be on TV?

Here’s what you need to know.

What is Paul Hollywood Eats Mexico about?

In the series, which is narrated by The Thick of It actress Rebecca Front, cameras follow Paul on his first-ever visit to Mexico.

The chef’s aim is to uncover - and enjoy -  the country’s authentic cuisine and explore its traditions.

He starts his journey in the capital, Mexico City, before going on a road trip across Mexico, taking in the American border and the Caribbean coast along the way.

What has Paul Hollywood said about the series?

Speaking about the series ahead of filming, Paul said although he’d never visited the country he loved its local cuisine.

“I’ve never been to Mexico, but I love Mexican food. I knew there would be chillies, tortillas and tequila.

“But real Mexican food is different from anything I’ve had in the UK, where we have the Americanised version known as ‘Tex-Mex’.”

What will happen in the first episode of Paul Hollywood Eats Mexico?

In the first episode of the show viewers will see Hollywood sample tacos at a street cafe that doubles up as a car garage and also try to make a traditional Mexican bread called pan dulce.

Hollywood said: “Pan dulce translates as ‘sweet bread’ and it’s an enriched dough halfway between a bun and a brioche and really light.

“The patterns formed on them with the cutter are like a work of art and they were delicious. I’m definitely going to make some at home.”

The TV presenter finds that some Mexican food is less to his taste, however, as he tries fiery-hot chilli-flavoured sweets when he encounters some Mexican piñatas later in the episode.

He is also not keen on the baked insects that he decides to sample.

Hollywood said: “The sweets were shocking. The chilli takes your breath away. Insects are the food of the future, with Mexico ahead of the curve, but the stuff there was insane – scorpions, cockroaches, maggots the size of your finger.

“I didn’t get any flavour from the scorpions, it’s more about texture, and eating a leg of a tarantula was enough for me.”

During the programme, Hollywood also gets involved with some local activities.

He gets an adrenaline rush when he tries the Mexican sport of fire hockey, which as the name suggests is played with a flaming ball, and also gets on his bike to team up with a group of all-female bikers and experience Mexican fast food.

He said: “I went 5000 miles and they took me to McDonald’s. They had molletes – bread with cheese and a jalapeño hot sauce – and I felt the heat rising.

“And we had sushi, which had been fried and was actually chicken, not raw fish. It tasted amazing though, I’ve never had anything like it.”

What happens later in the series of Paul Hollywood Eats Mexico?

In episode two of the show, Hollywood takes to the road and in Baja California and helps to make a cake for a Quinceanera celebration, which is a 15th birthday party..

Meanwhile in Milpa Alta, there’s cactus on the menu and insects to taste in Oaxaca.

Then, he returns to his role as a foodie judge at a Cornish pasty contest, all accompanied by a mariachi band.

In the third episode, Hollywood indulges in drinks from hot chocolate to a trendy Mexican cola, but he also explores how Mexicans’ love of sugar is resulting in increased obesity in the country.

Finally, he takes a trip to a Mezcal distillery, a boozy party in a traditional cantina and a spectacular firework festival.

When will Paul Hollywood Eats Mexico be on TV?

Paul Hollywood Eats Mexico will begin on Sunday 10 July at 9pm on Channel 4.

This episode will be available to watch shortly after it has aired on TV on Channel 4 catch-up service, All4.

There are three episodes in the series, and it is expected that each one will be shown on consecutive weeks in the same time slot.

The second episode will be on Sunday 17 July at 9pm on Channel 4.

The third episode will be on Sunday 24 July at 9pm on Channel 4.

If you can’t wait to watch each episode on live TV then all three episodes will be available as a box-set straight afterwards on streaming site All4.

Who is Paul Hollywood?

Paul John Hollywood is a 56-year-old celebrity chef, baker and television presenter.

He is most well-known as a judge on The Great British Bake Off (GBBO) since 2010.

Hollywood began his career at his father’s bakery as a teenager and went on to become a head baker at a number of British and international hotels.

In May 2013, Hollywood began appearing as a judge on The American Baking Competition, a US version of GBBO.

In December 2017, he appeared as a judge on The Great American Baking Show, the second incarnation of the GBBO series in the United States.

Hollywood has also appeared in guest spots on a number of television programmes, including BBC One’s The Generation Game and ITV’s This Morning.