Nigella Lawson's Bizarre Pronunciation Of Microwave Is Up For BAFTA Award

When Nigella Lawson pronounced the word 'microwave' a bit funny on her latest show Cook, Eat, Repeat, she probably never expected it to go as massively viral as it did. She definitely would not have expected it to land her a BAFTA nomination the following year, but here we are. Watch the now BAFTA-nominated moment here:

The clip is from an episode which aired on the BBC on 7 December. In it, she talked viewers through her method for brown butter colcannon (very rich and buttery veg-filled mashed potatoes, to the layman).

But people were soon perplexed as the 61-year-old mashed up her spuds in a pan and explained her next step.

She said: "I still need a bit of milk - full fat - which I've warmed in the meecro-wah-vay."

Mass hysteria then ensued across social media, with many people declaring it one of the standout moments of 2020 - which speaks volumes about 2020 really.

Writing on Twitter, one fan said: "@Nigella_Lawson pronunciation of 'microwave' is a highlight of 2020 for me #CookEatRepeat."

Another echoed: "The way @Nigella_Lawson just pronounced 'microwave' is a defining moment of 2020."

Well, now BAFTA has acknowledged just how mesmeric this meecro-wah-vay moment was, announcing its nomination for the Virgin Media Must-See Moment BAFTA.

BBC

It's up against Penelope being revealed as Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton, Diversity's Black Lives Matter dance routine on Britain's Got Talent, the killing of Chantelle on EastEnders, the appearance of Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian and the response to a Boris Johnson pandemic press conference on Gogglebox.

Now, you would think the addition of a syllable in the word microwave wouldn't have a chance up against such stiff competition, but this is the only award decided by a public vote - so it's in your hands.

Whether Nigella would actually be keen to scoop the award is a different question altogether.

The Oxford University languages graduate had to explain to the baffled masses that she does in fact know how to pronounce microwave, it was just a bit of fun - a sort of family in-joke, that became an out-joke when she said it in a show aired across the nation.

Responding to one of the countless confused viewers on Twitter, she said: "Well, I do say it like that, but not because that's how I think it's actually pronounced.

"I don't know. A camp joke that becomes habit."

Well, that camp joke may well have just won you a BAFTA Nigella.

Topics: Viral, TV and Film, Funny

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey