Joe Lycett has ruled himself out of replacing Matt Lucas on the next series of The Great British Bake Off.
The comedian had been a popular choice among viewers of the hit Channel 4 baking series, after Lucas announced his departure earlier this week.
Some bookmakers even listed Lycett as the favourite to take up the vacant role alongside Noel Fielding.
During an interview with The News Agents podcast, however, Lycett shut down speculation that a Bake Off role could be on the cards.
“No, thank you,” he said. “I’m taking myself out the race.”
On the same podcast, Lycett addressed his sarcastic appearance on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg back in September.
According to Lycett, his mocking manner during the interview, which saw him claim to be “extremely right wing” and effusively praise Liz Truss, stemmed from his very real anger over the government’s “consistent lying” over the Partygate scandal.
Former Little Britain star Lucas declared on Tuesday (6 November) that he would be stepping down from Bake Off after it “became clear” he was no longer able to host.
The actor and comedian, who joined the show in 2019, replacing Sandi Toksvig, shared a full statement with fans on social media.
“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,” he said.
“So, after three series and 51 episodes, I am cheerfully passing the baguette on to someone else.
“I would like to give my warmest thanks and gratitude to everyone at Love Productions and Channel 4 and to Noelipops, Paul, Dame Prue, the crew and, of course, the wonderful bakers for welcoming me into the tent.”
Channel 4 has yet to announce Lucas’s replacement.
