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Dame Prue Leith has admitted she’s never understood Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas’ jokes on The Great British Bake Off… but that doesn’t stop the enormous amount of love she has for them both.
It was recently announced that after two years on the programme, Matt had decided to step down from his role as co-host alongside Noel, explaining he was unable to juggle the responsibility with his other work commitments.
‘I have absolutely loved working with you @RealMattLucas. Thank you for bringing so much laughter and fun to the tent,’ Dame Prue tweeted following the news of his departure.
During an appearance on Lorraine on Tuesday, the 82-year-old spoke to stand-in host Ranvir Singh about the comedian’s exit, with the restaurateur admitting she doesn’t have a ‘clue’ who could replace him.
‘I don’t know anything about young comedians. I’d never heard of Noel Fielding before I met him on there,’ she admitted.
When asked if she would like an ‘older comedian’ instead, Dame Prue responded: ‘I’d like somebody I’ve heard of,’ as Ranvir threw out suggestions including Sir Billy Connolly and Sir Lenny Henry.
‘I get to love them,’ she said about the young comedians (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
Matt won’t be joining Dame Prue, Noel or judge Paul Hollywood on the 2023 series (Picture: Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions)
The Bake Off judge then confessed her true reactions to Matt and Noel’s light-hearted gags and skits on the show.
‘I get to love them, but the truth is I’ve never understood Matt and Noel’s jokes anyway,’ she said.
‘But I do adore Matt and he wants to do more theatre.’
In his post shared on social media revealing his decision to quit Bake Off, Matt described the hosting stint as a ‘delicious experience’.
‘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,’ the 48-year-old said.
‘So, after three series and 51 episodes, I am cheerfully passing the baguette on to someone else.’
The comic gave his ‘warmest thanks and gratitude’ to all who work at Love Productions and Channel 4, before writing: ‘To Noelipops, Paul, Dame Prue, the crew and, of course, the wonderful bakers for welcoming me into the tent.’
He concluded: ‘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.’
Lorraine airs weekdays from 9am on ITV. The Great British Bake Off is available to watch on All 4.
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Matt Lucas recently quit the Channel 4 show.
