After three seasons, 51 episodes, and a whole lot of viewer anguish, Great British Baking Show co-host Matt Lucas is leaving the tent for good. I personally could not be more thrilled, and it seems like just about everyone else on the internet feels exactly the same way.
Lucas announced his departure from the series in a tweet on Tuesday, saying that he simply couldn’t juggle his other commitments, including an appearance in the upcoming reboot of British TV show Fantasy Football League, and his Bake Off hosting duties at the same time.
Throughout the run of the most recent season, Bake Off fans wrote numerous blogs and Reddit threads demanding Lucas’s departure from the show, complaining about Lucas’s doofy antics and occasionally racist jokes, not to mention his awkward interactions with the show’s endlessly charming contestants. There was even a Change.org petition urging the BBC to fire Lucas, though it garnered less than 500 signatures, largely because most people infuriated with his presence chose to express their outrage in a much more 2022 way: bitching about him and his jokes, and pointing out his prior history of performing in blackface on Twitter. Put simply, Lucas was just not a good fit for the homey, welcoming vibe of Bake Off. (Note: the show is called the Great British Baking Show in the United States due to a trademark issue.) This tweet neatly sums up the backlash: “I absolutely hate Matt Lucas,” wrote one user. “There are a lot of problems with the show right now, and he is the worst part.”
And to be clear, Bake Off might well be in trouble even without Lucas’s off-putting cheesiness and occasionally lechy jokes. The show’s challenges have gotten a bit repetitive 13 seasons in, and watching the judges demand immaculate bakes in increasingly short periods of time has been maddening for viewers. To some it seemed the Bake Off producers were straying away from the cozy formula that turned the show into a phenomenon. But the Bake Off audience doesn’t want drama or schtick, we just want to see kind, quirky people baking beautiful and tasty treats.
So now that Lucas is out, speculation is already rampant as to who will join the relentlessly delightful Noel Fielding as the show’s new co-host. As such, I’ve made a list of five Brits who would fit the bill:
- Sandi Toksvig — Toksvig insisted that she was over Bake Off after she left in 2017, but I’m still very sad about her departure. Sandi was the best.
- Harry Styles — This show could really use some star power, and there’s no bigger star in the world right now than Harry Styles.
- David Beckham — Who among us wouldn’t watch a Bake Off co-hosted by this legendarily handsome soccer star????
- Nadiya Hussein — A former Bake Off contestant who’s hosted her own cooking show, Hussein has a soothing presence, knows the game well, and would know how best to bug the contestants without throwing them off their bakes.
- Phoebe Waller-Bridge — Fleabag x Bake Off is truly the collab we need, BBC make this happen.
FAQs
The contestants are not paid for being on the show, though they are given a modest stipend so they can practice their bakes at home. But the stipend apparently doesn't go very far. If you need to practice your bake multiple times at home, the cost of ingredients can get surprisingly expensive.
Did Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding get along? ›
“With Matt it was a bit weird, because we're mates and are probably the same low-status person from our respective double acts, where he has [David] Walliams and I have Julian [Barrett],” Fielding told Times Radio last year. “It was more difficult to find how we worked together, but we managed to find a way,” he added.
How long is filming for the Great British Baking Show? ›
Bake Off is filmed over 10 weeks (giving contestants lots of time to practise their bakes), and those lucky enough to find themselves in the tent are asked to make sure their schedules are clear for up to 21 days between those months.
Do the contestants on the Great British Baking Show know in advance? ›
10. How Far in Advance Do the Bakers Know the Challenges? Very far. The bakers are told every single challenge — save for the technicals — right when they're cast on the show, The Guardian reported.
How much does Noel get paid for Bake Off? ›
It was previously reported that Noel makes around £200,000 per series of Bake Off, according to The Sun. Meanwhile, Alison is no stranger to the programme as she took part in Celebrity Great British Bake Off which helps to raise money for Stand Up to Cancer.
How much does Prue get paid for Bake Off? ›
How much does Prue Leith get paid for The Great British Bake Off? Dame Prue keeps her salary hidden, however, when she first joined in 2017, her contract reported suggested £200,000 a season. The judge's current pay is not published but it's suggested to have increased.
What disability does Matt Lucas have? ›
Matt Lucas is bald because he has a condition called alopecia universalis. This is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the hair follicles, leading to complete hair loss on the scalp and elsewhere on the body.
What illness did Noel Fielding have? ›
In 2009, a Sunday Times article revealed that Fielding developed alcohol-induced hepatitis during his college years; he said that he was helped through this time by his friend and collaborator Nigel Coan. This forced him not to drink alcohol for six months, which led him to become teetotal for a couple of years.
Did Noel Fielding quit Bake Off? ›
No, Noel Fielding's new Apple TV+ show doesn't mean he's quitting The Great British Baking Show.
Why do contestants wear the same clothes on Bake Off? ›
It's for continuity, especially for the scenes where they are sitting at their station staring at their bake. So rather than disliking it, I actually do like that they wear the same outfits , especially when there are still lots of bakers left.
What happens to the leftover food on the Bake Off? You will be happy to know that the goodies do not go to waste, as the leftover baked goods are shared between the crew and the bakers themselves.
Do contestants on baking shows get to use recipes? ›
All of our stars and contestants use original recipes that they create for the shows they appear on. We do have a talented staff of chefs in the Food Network Kitchens, but they develop recipes for our non-television products, like the Food Network Magazine, our website, cookbooks, etc., but not for our stars.
Do British baking contestants get paid? ›
Do the contestants on The Great British Bake Off get paid? The answer to that is simply no - in fact, some are even left out of pocket for being on the show. Contestants have to pay for their own ingredients to practise at home, which can work out quite expensive.
Is each episode of GBBO filmed in one day? ›
Former contestants have recalled long days filming each episode of Bake Off on the weekends, which can last between 10-16 hours. Season nine's Antony Amourdoux told Insider: “You start early in the morning and it ends a little after six or seven in the evening.
Has anyone won Great British baking show without being star baker? ›
The series was won by David Atherton, who became the first winner never to have won the Star Baker title since it was introduced. Alice Fevronia and Steph Blackwell finished as runners-up.
Do the chefs on Great British Menu get paid? ›
Do Great British Menu chefs get paid? GBM contestants aren't paid to take part in the show. In fact, the restaurants they represent have to supply a budget, although they more than make the money back in exposure we'd imagine.
Do GBBO contestants pay for ingredients? ›
Once in the big tent, all ingredients are paid for by production. Contestants are given a per-episode allowance and have to shop accordingly.
How much does Paul Hollywood make from Great British baking show? ›
The Sun also revealed how Paul earns £400K a year for his work as a judge on Bake Off.
Has anyone become famous from the Great British baking show? ›
John Whaite won The Great British Bake Off back in 2012 and has since built his own TV career. In 2021 he appeared in Strictly Come Dancing and reached the semi-final as well as featuring on Steph's Packed Lunch, This Morning and Sunday Brunch.
