Matt Lucas will be leaving the tent for good as he departs Great British Bake Off after three seasons as one of the Channel 4 competition show’s co-hosts. Lucas, who announced the show alongside Noel Fielding, announced Tuesday on social media that he would be leaving the show – and judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith – behind.
“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,” Lucas wrote in a statement he posted to social media. “So, after three series and 51 episodes, I am cheerfully passing the baguette on to someone else.”
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The Little Britain alum continued, “I would like to give my warmest thanks and gratitude to everyone at Love Productions and Channel 4 and to Neolipops, Paul, Dame Prue, the crew and, of course, the wonderful bakers for welcoming me into the tent.” Lucas concluded with well-wishes to the presenter who will take his spot in the future, noting that he couldn’t “wait to tune into the next series without already knowing who won!”
Lucas first joined Bake Off in Season 11, taking over Sandi Toksvig’s spot next to Fielding. As of right now, Channel 4 has not named a replacement for Lucas as host. Fielding, however, made it clear just how much he will miss the Bridesmaids actor in a goodbye message of his own. “Farewell buddy thank you for 3 amazing years. I will really miss your spark and huge smile in the tent and I will miss your kindness as a person and to all the bakers,” Fielding wrote on Instagram.
“I will miss your sense of the absurd and your silliness,” he continued. “I will miss all the times the four of us giggled together. I will miss your ability to turn into a fully formed character at the drop of a hat. I will miss you pretending to be Boris Johnson singing David Bowie songs and I will miss your upbeat nature and positive vibes.” Fielding concluded by wishing Lucas luck on his “next adventure” and said he “looked forward to watching as a fan,” writing, “See you in the real world soon buddy. Don’t forget ‘It’s all about the showstopper.’”
