Our prayers to the biscuit overlords have been answered. Matt Lucas has left The Great British Baking Show, after a tense season of controversial jokes, annoying interruptions, and terrible Hawaiian shirts. We’re all jumping for joy. That random Change.org petition worked, everyone!
There is no shortage of atrocities to mention when it comes to Lucas’ short-lived career with GBBS: constantly feasting from the contestant’s baking stations was one thing, bludgeoning them with jokes was another. But the worst of all was his appearance on “Mexican Week” this past season. Lucas made an unfathomable number of jokes in poor taste, including questioning whether or not Mexico was a real country and wearing a hot pink poncho/sombrero combo.
“There will be no Mexican jokes,” co-host Noel Fielding said at the top of the episode.
“What, not even Juan?” Lucas quipped back. Both Fielding and Lucas deserve the intense backlash they received after this heinous “joke.” Now, at least, we rest comfortably knowing that one of the pair is no longer working on the show, after wreaking such havoc.
Lucas claims to have left the series for reasons other than complete public hatred of his hosting skills In an announcement on Tuesday, he claimed that his role presenting Fantasy Football League, along with an array of other unnamed projects, made him too busy for the gig.
“Farewell Bake Off! It’s been a delicious experience and I can’t imagine a more fun way of spending my summers,” Lucas wrote in a statement on Instagram. “But it’s become clear to me that I can’t present both Fantasy Football League and Bake Off alongside all my other projects.”
The official British Bake Off (the show’s English title) Twitter account responded to Matt’s exit statement: “We’ve loved having Matt Lucas brighten up our Tent for the last three years, especially when laughter and smiles were so much in need. We appreciate everything he’s done for Bake Off, from working in covid bubbles to supporting the bakers.”
Replied a blunt Great British Baking Show fan: “Best news of the week that.”
While we do wish Lucas all the best in his future endeavors, The Great British Baking Show was not his strong suit. It should be noted that, along with the controversial comments during Mexican Week, the actor also once faced backlash for appearing in blackface with David Walliams on their sketch show Little Britain. Yikes. That’s not the lovable type of person we’d like to see in the GBBS tent.
So, who would be someone that would be a delight in the GBBS tent? The current top comment replying to Lucas’ departure threat campaigns for The Souvenir actor Richard Ayoade to take the reigns with Fielding. Another British star that could be an amazing fit: Catherine Tate of Doctor Who, The Office, and The Catherine Tate Show fame. (Say hello to your new YouTube binge.)
Other fans of the series have jumped in with former GBBS contestants who could be up for the gig—maybe Selasi from Series 7, or Janusz from the most recent season of the series. I’d recommend Freya and Lizzie from last year’s season, who have become avid TikTok friends reporting on their baking together.
There are, clearly, many options for GBBS in the wake of Matt Lucas’ departure. Hopefully, they choose correctly and the show can rebound from its past few seasons of soggy-bottom quality.
