NORM ABRAMS ON THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE-OFF: A RECOLLECTION The whole thing started because someone decided it was imperative for the show to have a surprise celebrity judge. But of course we had such a shoestring budget, we couldn't afford an A- or even B-lister. Somehow--I have absolutely zero idea what the process was--the powers-that-be landed on Norm Abrams, from This Old House. Even if the show was American, I don't know how many amateur bakers would have any idea who Norm Abrams is, so you can imagine the situation for a British program. But we had producers just dead set on having the cast flip out when Norm Abrams was revealed. I get that. I mean, personally, I would have made sure every cast member knew who he was, what his name is, what he looks like. So, when he shows up, you know, everyone could be like "Oh my gosh! It's Norm Abrams from This Old House"! But our guys went nuts. They choreographed it beyond belief. They ordered the youngest contestant to faint. They told one guy to just pump his fist in the air, and another one to cover her face with her hands and just sob uncontrollably, and on and on, down to the last detail. They managed to convince the contestants that the success of the show was dependent on it. And of course, the better the show does, the more impressive their affiliation with it, so they put their hearts into it, to say the very least. Now the wildest thing about all this was that we assumed the upshot of having a very marginal celebrity was that we'd be avoiding the sort of prima donna nonsense you'd get from a real star. That expectation... was not met. Fast forward to the day of. The contestants all know Norm's coming. They're in the middle of baking Dampfnudel when this helicopter appears and touches down 50 meters from the set. The blades never stop spinning, but some guy steps out of the door. Now, to those who have any idea who he is, Norm Abrams has these sort of iconic visual elements--glasses, beard, plaid shirt, blue jeans... This guy is clean-shaven, no glasses, slicked-back hair, a loose-fitted hand-knit cowl neck sweater and slacks. He's got one hand on the door of the helicopter, and he's just kind of hanging coolly out. Somehow, I have no idea how, one of the contestants actually managed to recognize him and shrieked "Oh my goodness, it's Norm Abrams!" and I can't give enough credit to the cast, they performed the parts with which they had been tasked with such incredible... aplomb. And these aren't actors, mind you, they're bakers. The one girl silently mouthed "Norm", twitched a smile, then looked like she might burst into tears before she fainted away. One of the older men started jumping up and down, screaming "yes"! A woman shrieked as if she'd just received word she'd lost her son at war, and tearfully embraced another who was giggling fanatically. Eventually, they broke into a chant of "NORM! NORM! NORM!" and mind you, this whole time, Norm Abrams never deigns to leave the helicopter. Eventually he nods his head, steps back into the helicopter and it takes off.