Fans of The Great British Bake Off were shocked last night when Matt Lucas announced that he wouldn’t be returning to the show for its next series.
The comedian, who had been co-presenting GBBO alongside Noel Fielding since 2020, took to social media to share that his time had come to step down from his role.
In his statement, the 48-year-old explained that he can’t continue to juggle presenting Fantasy Football League and Bake Off, as well as manage all of his other projects.
“I am cheerfully passing the baguette on to someone else,” Matt penned. “I wish whoever takes over all the very best and I can’t wait to tune into the next series without already knowing who won!”.
Since sharing his bittersweet news, Matt has received an outpouring of love from the wider GBBO family.
“I’m going to miss you Matt, and so will the bakers”, commented judge Paul Hollywood.
“Was a pleasure for me to work with such a wonderful comic talent and a lovely man to boot xx”, added Noel Fielding, who co-hosted the show with Matt.
As expected, speculation is now rife as to who will replace Matt in the prestigious presenting role.
So far, the bookies’ favourite has been revealed to be comedian Joe Lycett. Joe is no stranger to presenting TV shows, as he hosts his very own consumer affairs show on Channel 4, titled Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back.
As well as for his funny bones, the 34-year old is also well-known to the public for calling out brands such as Hugo Boss and public figures like David Beckham.
Alongside Joe, another popular choice to replace Matt Lucas as host is fellow comedian Richard Ayoade.
The IT Crowd star already has a friendly working relationship with Noel Fielding, as the pair have appeared together on shows such as Travel Man and The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year.
In terms of a female presenter, fans have been looking towards baker Nadiya Hussain, who won Bake Off back in 2015.
Since being crowned GBBO champion, Nadiya has become an incredibly popular and successful TV baker, presenting her own shows for the BBC such as Nadiya Bakes and Nadiya’s Time to Eat.
Hopefully, it won’t be long before we find out who Matt’s replacement will be!
