Matt Lucas Says He Joined 'Great British Bake Off' For a 'Pandemic Job'

The actor announced his departure in Dec. 2022 after a short-lived tenure hosting the beloved baking competition show.

Matt Lucas revealed the real reason he agreed to host Great British Bakeoff, and it's not because he enjoys a sweet treat or two.

While appearing on a recent episode of the Deeney Talks podcast, Lucas revealed that he took the hosting gig as a "pandemic job."

"I’d never seen the show beforehand," Lucas said, admitting he was also "not a baker."

"They were just looking for a new host and it came at a time where I had been living in L.A. for seven years and I had just sold my house there and I was thinking about coming back and spending more time with my family and friends.”

Lucas continued, "I was told they were interested in me, but I said I had never seen it, so they [Love Productions] asked if I would watch it and I watched a couple of episodes and thought it was great, but I don’t want to host a TV show, but said, ‘Thank you, I’m really grateful.'"

"Then I was like, ‘Oh, OK,’ and it just kind of happened–it was exactly when the pandemic was and it was the perfect pandemic job and I did it and it was fun and I had a great time with Noel [Fielding] and Paul [Hollywood] and Prue [Leith] and the bakers were lovely and I learned a bit about baking," Lucas explained.

Related: 'Great British Baking Show' Judge Was Once Lost at Sea

After three seasons, the Alice in Wonderland alum announced his departure from the show, reflecting on his tenure in a Dec. 2022 Instagram post, "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. "After three series and 51 episodes, I am cheerfully passing on the baguette to someone else."

Related: Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood Share a Behind-the-Scenes Look at The Great British Baking Show

Since leaving the show, Lucas has entertained projects he feels better aligned with, including the original series Fantasy Football League and writing a book that will later be adapted into a musical with the help of Little Britain co-star David Walliams.

“It probably utilizes what I have better than ‘Bake Off,'” he confessed on the podcast. “I just don’t have the time, and not doing ‘Bake Off’ means I have time to do some writing with David and record my music as well as ‘Fantasy Football League.'”

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