Matt Lucas has announced he’s stepping down from his role as a presenter on The Great British Bake Off, explaining his reasoning for quitting the job.
In a statement published on social media, the comedian explained that he had found it difficult to balance multiple commitments, including his Bake Off post.
The 48-year-old wrote: ‘xxx 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.’
Matt expressed his ‘warmest thanks and gratitude to everyone at Love Productions and Channel 4’, before adding tributes to his co-host Noel Fielding and judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith.
‘To Noelipops, Paul, Dame Prue, the crew and, of course, the wonderful bakers for welcoming me into the tent,’ he said.
‘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! xxx Matt.’
Matt first joined Bake Off in 2020, replacing QI host Sandi Toksvig, who had been on the programme since 2017.
Meanwhile, Noel has been on the show since its move to Channel 4, after it was previously hosted by Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc on the BBC.
In response to Matt’s statement announcing his decision to move on, judge Paul commented on Instagram: ‘I’m going to miss you Matt, and so will the bakers…’
