Matt Lucas reveals what he really thinks about Great British Bake Off after quitting show

Former Great British Bake Off host Matt Lucas has admitted never watching the beloved baking competition before reluctantly accepting the job offer.

The controversial comedian replaced Sandi Toksvig to co-host the show with Noel Fielding in 2020 and stayed on for three series before announcing his exit in December 2022.

“It’s been a delicious experience and I can’t imagine a more fun way to spend my summers,” he wrote at the time, adding he no longer had the time to commit to the hosting gig.

However, in a recent interview on the the Deeney Talks podcast, he explained the surprising way he landed the job.

“I’d never seen the show beforehand and I was not a baker,” he said.

He was first approached for the job by Love Productions “at a time where I had been living in LA for seven years”, Lucas added.

“I had just sold my house there, and I was thinking about coming back and spending more time with my family and friends.

“I was told they were interested in me, but I said I had never seen it. So they asked if I would watch it. I watched a couple of episodes and thought it was great, but I don’t want to host a TV show – but, ‘Thank you, I’m really grateful.'”

Despite the initial rejection he agreed to meet with the company who offered him the job. It just happened to line up with the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

“I was like, ‘Oh, OK’, and it just kind of happened. It was exactly when the pandemic was and it was the perfect pandemic job. And I did it and it was fun and I had a great time with Noel and Paul and Prue. And the bakers were lovely and I learned a bit about baking.”

Now leaving to focus on Fantasy Football League among other projects (including a show with controversial Little Britain co-star David Walliams), it seems he is a converted Bake Off fan.

“I can’t wait to tune into the next series without already knowing who won.” he joked.

There is already speculation about who might replace Lucas, with some wild-card suggestions including: politician turned reality star Matt Hancock; comedian Diane Morgan’s dim-witted alter ego Philomena Cunk; and the camp icon herself, The Traitors‘ Claudia Winkleman.

Great British Bake Off will return to Channel 4 this summer.