Noel Fielding reacts to news Matt Lucas has quit Great British Bake Off

Comedian responded to the news in a touching ‘farewell’ post

Noel Fielding has reacted to the news that Matt Lucas has quit The Great British Bake Off.

The comedian and Mighty Boosh star has hosted the Channel 4 series alongside Lucas for three years.

On Tuesday (6 December), the Little Britain actor announced he was stepping away from the baking competitions, which is known as The Great British Baking Show in the US.

He attributed his decision to a clash of projects, stating that it “became clear” he could no longer present the show.

In a “farewell” post, Fielding thanked Lucas “for three amazing years” and reeled off everything he would “miss” about his co-host.

“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. 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.”

He continued: “I will miss you pretending to be Boris Johnson singing David Bowie songs and I will miss your upbeat nature and positive vibes.”

Fielding hailed Lucas as “a huge comic talent but also a lovely man and a good friend”, adding: “I wish you luck on your next adventure and look forward to watching as a fan. See you in the real world soon buddy.”

It is currently unknown who will replace Lucas, who himself replaced Sandi Toksvig during the show’s 11th series in 2019, but many are hoping it could lead to a fun reunion.

Noel Fielding says he will ‘miss’ his ‘GBBO’ co-host Matt Lucas (Instagram)

Lucas said of his successor: “I wish whoever takes over the very best and I can’t wait to tune into the next series without already knowing who won!”

In response to Lucas’s announcement, Paul Hollywood wrote on Instagram: “Sorry you’re leaving us @realmattlucas, you’ll be so missed by everyone. You made me laugh so much in the tent, your characters are epic, I was a massive fan of yours before you came to the tent, now I’ll always be your number one fan. Good luck in everything you do.”

Meanwhile, the official Bake Off account wrote: “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.”

The comedian will make his final bow as co-host in two Bake Off Christmas specials, which will air on Channel 4 on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. Here are six presnters who could replace Lucas.