Paul Hollywood has signed a six-figure deal to appear with a meerkat in a TV advert for Compare the Market.
The Great British Bake Off star features in the price comparison site's latest campaign, which uses his last name as a pun to promote its 2-4-1 movie ticket offer.
Paul, 58, has a following of film stars who have appeared in the ad, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nicole Kidman and Macaulay Culkin.
A TV source said: “This is especially surprising considering Bake Off judges rarely lend their names to anything or participate in campaigns.”
“However, the meerkat ad was well received and he thought the use of the meerkat ad was interesting and clever.
“And Paul is an international star who deserves an international campaign, having been made famous around the world by Bake Off.”
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The ad, which first hit screens 15 years ago, featured an animated meerkat led by Russia's Alexander Orlov and his friend Sergei, and gave rise to the tagline “Simple!”
Paul will return as a judge on Channel 4's Bake Off in series 15 this summer.
This format has been repeated in 20 countries around the world, and the U.S. version is called “The Great American Baking Show.”
Paul also appeared as a judge on the American show, making him a star on the other side of the Atlantic.
However, it remains to be seen whether Bake Off will return to C4 next year when its current contract with creators Love Productions ends.
