Matt Lucas Is Leaving The Great British Baking Show

On Tuesday, December 6, 2022, British comedian Matt Lucas announced that he will be leaving his role as co-host of "The Great British Baking Show" (which is called "The Great British Bake Off" in the UK). This means that the show's 13th season, which concluded on November 15, is Lucas' last. Lucas joined the show in 2020 for Season 11, replacing Sandi Toksvig.

"Farewell 'Bake Off!'" Lucas Tweeted. "It's been a delicious experience and I can't imagine a more fun way to spend 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 [seasons] and 51 episodes, I am cheerfully passing the baguette on to someone else."

Lucas continued by showing his appreciation for his now-former coworkers. "I would like to give my warmest thanks and gratitude to everyone at Love Productions and Channel 4 and to [co-host Noel Fielding], Paul, Dame Prue, the crew and, of course, the wonderful bakers for welcoming me into the tent. 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!"

BBC Studios and Love Productions haven't yet announced who will be replacing Lucas as co-host. While some fans are no doubt disappointed to see Lucas go, others are definitely relieved.

Matt Lucas has always seemed like a bit of an odd choice to host "The Great British Baking Show." The show itself is known for its warm, friendly tone and dry sense of humor. Lucas, meanwhile, made his name by starring in the sketch comedy series "Little Britain," and by playing characters like the weird roommate Gil from "Bridesmaids." For many fans, Lucas' sense of humor never quite fit the series.

Worse, fans questioned some of the choices Lucas and the show made during its most recent season. In particular, the show's Mexican Week" episode was perceived by many as insensitive. During it, Lucas and Fielding wore serapes and sombreros, joked about whether Mexico is a real country, and made this exchange: Fielding: "There will be no Mexican jokes." Lucas: "What, not even Juan?" (via The Daily Beast). There's even a petition on Change.org to remove Lucas from the show.

As he mentioned in his Tweet, Lucas has already moved on to other projects including a reboot of "Fantasy Football League," a talk show in which Lucas and co-host Elis James interview celebrities about their fantasy soccer teams. Hopefully that's a better fit for Lucas' sensibility.