James Martin has revealed he never would have dreamed baking would become such a TV hit.

The celebrity chef has a new series for Good Food called United Cakes Of America, and is also bowled over by the success of other shows such as Great British Bake Off.

"I've always been interested in (baking) myself, but when I did a series about desserts about 10 years ago I never dreamed that baking would become what it is now," James admitted.

"It's particularly good on television because there's the element of unknowing. Once it's gone in the oven, the failure is much more visual than just burning a bit of fish, for example.

"And you've got to get the ingredients right. There's no cheating with baking. It's either right or wrong. You get these people working for six hours and it can be a disaster in 20 minutes."

James is pals with Great British Bake Off judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry.

"I'm godfather to Paul's sons so I've known him for about 15 years. He's a great guy, an amazing baker and fantastic at bread making.

"And I've known Mary just as long. She's in the same agency as me and when I first started out she used to give me advice, hints and tips. Both have been around for a long time and they are a good mix."

:: James Martin's United Cakes Of America is on Good Food on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, starting Sunday, February 24