Paul Hollywood talks about his new TV series, moving to Channel 4 and staying friends with Mary Berry.

“Baking is my career, it’s what I am. The whole presenter thing is an accident. I’m a baker by trade but my hobby was always cars,” says The Great British Bake Off judge who stared his career in York.

He’s been passionate about motors “for as long as I can remember”.

“My dad used to have several cars growing up - nothing particularly special, but I just loved cars,” declares Hollywood.

He describes his latest show, Paul Hollywood’s Big Continental Road Trip, as “a dream job for me”.

In the three-part series, Hollywood travels to Germany, France and Italy, endeavouring to understand more about each country through its love of cars.

“It didn’t feel like work,” he says. “The travel was just amazing we went to some really beautiful places..”

One of the most memorable experiences was driving around Italy in a Lamborghini alongside Strictly Come Dancing’s Bruno Tonioli.

“We nearly got arrested for speeding around Rome. He was petrified, bless him,” recalls Hollywood, who was particularly taken with Ivrea in north-west Italy.

In Germany, he stopped off to serve up some spicy food from the back of a VW van to some nudists.

“This is a country which is very formal. We think of them as very straight, no sense of humour, and yet this country started the whole nudist movement.

“We were in the Kombi van, just going there and spending a couple of hours with these people. They were very funny, absolutely hilarious. I didn’t know where to look.”

Was he tempted to strip off? “When they told me, I went, ‘No, no, no. I’m not getting my kit off, it’s not going to happen’.”

Not even for his fans?

“They’d be disappointed if I did that!” he laughs. The series arrives after Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond’s The Grand Tour debut on Amazon and a second series of the revamped Top Gear, with Matt Le Blanc promoted to hosting duties following the departure of Chris Evans. Hollywood insists he’s not disappointed he wasn’t part of the new Top Gear line-up.

“This programme was already in the making so it was difficult for me to get involved anyway. So, no, that was never a choice.”

He’s keeping busy with The Great British Bake Off, having decided to move with the programme to Channel 4, despite former BBC colleagues Mary Berry, Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc standing down. He claims he was unaware of the furore that ensued.

“I’ve been told by the press that it happened, so it must be true,” says Hollywood, who’s still in touch with his former judging partner Berry.

“Why wouldn’t I be? There’s no reason for it [their friendship] to stop.”

Paul Hollywood’s Big Continental Road Trip begins on BBC Two on Sunday, May 28