‘I’m passing the baguette on to someone else’: Matt Lucas QUITS as presenter of The Great British Bake Off after three series as star admits he could ‘no longer continue’
Matt Lucas has announced he has quit his role as presentrer of The Great British Bake Off after three series.
The comedian, 48, has co-hosted the Channel 4 show alonguside Noel Fielding since 2020 but has decided his time on the programme is over.
In a statement, Matt cited his heavy workload as the reason he has stepped away from Bake Off, saying he wouldn’t have the time to host it alongside his work on Fantasy Football League.
Bowing out: Matt Lucas (centre) has announced he has quit his role as presentrer of The Great British Bake Off after three series
He wrote: ‘Farewell Bake Off! It’s been a delicious experience and I can’t imagine a more fun way of spending my summers.
‘But it’s become clear to me that I can’t present both Fantasy Football League and Bake Off alongside all my other projects.
‘So, after three series and 51 episodes, I am cheerfully passing the baguette on to someone else.
‘I would like to give my warmest thanks and gratitude to everyone at Love Productions and Channel 4 and to Noelipops, Paul, Dame Prue, the crew and, of course, the wonderful bakers for welcoming me into the tent.
‘Farewell’: In a statement, Matt cited his heavy workload as the reason he has stepped away from Bake Off
Duo: The comedian, 48, has co-hosted the Channel 4 show alongside Noel Fielding (pictured) since 2020 but has decided his time on the programme is over
‘I wish whoever takes over the very best and I can’t wait to tune into the next series without already knowing who won!’
Matt joined the show in series 11, replacing fellow comedian Sandi Toksvig who left the programme after three seasons.
The comedian was inundated with well wishes from Bake Off fans who said they’d miss him on the show.
One fan wrote on Twitter: ‘You’ll be missed, Matt. I loved your rapport with Noel and the plentiful laughs each episode.’
Career: Matt said he wouldn’t have the time to host it alongside his work on Fantasy Football League (pictured with Elis James)
Another said:’You will be missed my friend! You always brightened up my screen everytime bake off was on. Thank you for the memories and good luck to all of your future endeavours.’
Another added: ‘Nooo! You were so great on it. Your chemistry with Noel was brilliant. You’ll be missed.’
Noel Fielding, who joined as co-host when Bake Off moved to Channel 4 in series 8, will remain with the show alongside judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith.
During its original run on the BBC, the series was presented by Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc.
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