Why Did Matt Lucas Leave ‘The Great British Baking Show’?

Something is very, very different about The Great British Baking Show in 2023. When you log onto Netflix and start a brand new season of The Great British Baking Show, you’ll immediately notice that Noel Fielding‘s former co-host Matt Lucas has been replaced by Alison Hammond. The show telegraphs this change with a Godfather-inspired sketch that welcomes Alison to the “family” before letting her gleefully make time calls and hobnob with bakers. But Alison Hammond is only on The Great British Baking Show because Matt Lucas is not. So why did Matt Lucas become the latest UK television personality to ditch the Bake Off tent? Why did Matt Lucas leave The Great British Baking Show?

When The Great British Baking Show originally premiered on BBC Two in 2011, judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry were joined by presenting pair (and long-time BFFs) Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc. After the show exploded in international popularity, The Great British Baking Show — known as The Great British Bake Off everywhere but the USA and Canada, thanks to Pillsbury owning the rights to the phrase “Bake Off” in those territories — took a deal to move to rival British broadcaster Channel 4. While this move turned out to be fortuitous for American fans in one respect, as Netflix became a key producing partner, cutting down on the wait time between when a season would air across the pond and pop up on streaming, it also meant the end of an era. Mary Berry, Sue Perkins, and Mel Giedroyc all refused to cut ties with the BBC.

Enter the new cast: Prue Leith replaced Mary Berry, while panel show Q.I.‘s Sandi Toksvig joined The Mighty Boosh‘s Noel Fielding as an odd couple of presenters. When Sandi left after three seasons, Little Britain comic Matt Lucas joined the show. However, he, too, opted to exit after three seasons.

But why did Matt Lucas leave The Great British Baking Show? Here’s what we know…

Why Did Matt Lucas Leave The Great British Baking Show?

So what’s the deal? Was Matt Lucas fired from The Great British Baking Show? Or is the reason why Lucas left Bake Off far less dramatic?

According to Lucas, his exit was totally amicable. Apparently Matt Lucas left The Great British Baking Show for scheduling reasons. He needed more time to devote the show Fantasy Football League, which is actually about what we would call soccer. As Lucas wrote on X (then called Twitter):

“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. 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. 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”

So there you have it! Matt Lucas was simply too busy to squeeze The Great British Baking Show into his schedule.

You can follow Matt Lucas on Instagram @realmattlucas if you want to keep up with his non-Great British Baking Show projects.