Matt Lucas just confirmed that he is leaving Great British Bake Off after three seasons as a presenter.
In a statement posted on social media, Lucas revealed the reason why he was exiting the Channel 4 competition.
“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,” read the statement Lucas shared on Twitter. “So, after three series and 51 episodes, I am cheerfully passing the baguette on to someone else.”
Lucas continued, “I would like to give my warmest thanks and gratitude to everyone at Love Productions and Channel 4 and to Neolipops, Paul, Dame Prue, the crew and, of course, the wonderful bakers for welcoming me into the tent.”
The Little Britain and Bridesmaids alum had well wishes for the future presenter that takes the vacant spot and he said he couldn’t “wait to tune into the next series without already knowing who won!”
Lucas joined the Bake Off world in Season 11 taking over Sandi Toksvig’s spot next to Noel Fielding. After Lucas made his announcement, Fielding shared that he was “sad” his co-presenter was leaving the show.
“Farewell buddy thank you for 3 amazing years. 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 shared 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. I will miss you pretending to be Boris Johnson singing David Bowie songs and I will miss your upbeat nature and positive vibes.”
Fielding wished Lucas luck on his “next adventure” and said he “looked forward to watching as a fan.”
As of now, Channel 4 has not announced if Great British Bake Off will replace Lucas with another host. The competition show airs in the U.S. on Netflix as The Great British Baking Show.