While Paul Hollywood's been on The Great British Bake Off since its inception in 2010, the lineup around him has seen a number of changes over the years.
Former judge Mary Berry decided to leave when the show moved to Channel 4, with Prue Leith taking over her spot, while Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins were replaced by Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig when they decided not to make the leap over from the BBC.
After just three seasons, Toksvig also decided to call it quits - saying in a recent interview that her time on the show had been ‘three of the longest years of [her] life’ - and handed the role to comedian Matt Lucas.
In 2022, after just three seasons, Lucas also felt the time was right for him to move on to pastures new, explaining his choice in a statement at the time.
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Thankfully, it sounded like he had a better experience than his predecessor, but still want to ‘pass on the baguette’ to another person after realising he could no longer juggle the work alongside other jobs.
He said: "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.
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"I wish whoever takes over the very best and I can't wait to tune into the next series without already knowing who won!"
As for all those ‘other projects’? One includes the crossover no Bake Off fan was expecting.
Many cinemagoers were shocked when they saw Lucas pop on the screen as they watched Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal in action in the long-awaited Gladiator sequel.
Lucas plays a minor role as the Master of Ceremonies at the Colosseum, and the blink-and-you-miss-it cameo seemed to take many by surprise.
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One tweeted: “I’m embarrassed to admit I only know Matt Lucas from British Bake Off. He was in Gladiator II and when I saw him I was like hold up.. didn’t he host the Great British Baking Show??”
Someone else said: “Here is my synopsis of Gladiator 2: Paul Mescal takes on the nightmare blunt rotation of emperors Frankie Grande and Limmy’s Dee Dee, alongside [checks notes] Matt Lucas.”
A third asked: “What do you mean Matt Lucas is in Gladiator II.”
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Another joked: “Matt Lucas as the master of ceremonies in Gladiator 2 just made the whole thing feel like a really fraught episode of the Great British Bake Off.”
A fifth added: “Gladiator 2 was a solid movie. The action dial, cranked up to 10.5. What I felt it needed was some suspense, to pull the audience as taut as a bow, some unpredictability. The only thing I didn’t see coming was Matt Lucas as the arena announcer."
As ScreenRant points out, it’s ‘likely’ that the new Ridley Scott flick was, indeed, one of the projects that may have convinced Lucas away from the Bake Off, with filming for Gladiator kicking off in May 2023.
“This would coincide with his departure from Great British Bake Off in December 2022,” the outlet says, adding how, at the time of writing, his only other upcoming role listed on IMDb is animated movie Fairy Tale Forest.
Topics: Great British Bake Off, TV And Film, Food and Drink
Jess Hardiman