Alison Hammond will be joining the cast of “Great British Bake Off” (aka “Great British Baking Show“) as their newest co-host. She will be replacing Matt Lucas, who is leaving due to scheduling conflicts with other projects. Hammond will join Noel Fielding on the next season of the iconic show, which launched in the U.K. back in 2010.
To announce her new role, Hammond posted an adorable video to Instagram. She had each member of the hosting lineup done as figurines, including herself. She then proceeded to interview them about her joining the show, like you would football players after a big game. Channel 4 also confirmed she would be joining the show later that day. She will be the first person of color to be a host on “Bake Off”
Hammond is best known in the U.K. as the presenter for ITV’s “This Morning.” Recently she co-hosted the BAFTA Film Awards alongside Richard E. Grant. But Hammond is also no stranger to “Bake Off,” since she participated in a celebrity version of the show in 2020. She is known for her sunny disposition, booming laugh, and knack for making her interviewees feel at ease.
“Alison is much loved, effortlessly funny and the owner of the best laugh in Britain’” Channel 4’s Chief Content officer Ian Katz said. “She was a huge hit when she appeared on ‘Celebrity Bake Off’ and we’re thrilled to have her back in the tent.”
Fielding also posted to Instagram about how excited he was for Hammond to join the cast. “The bakers are gonna love you to bits,” he said. The celebrity version of “The Great British Bake Off” returned to Channel 4 March 19th.
[Editor’s note: Americans will most likely remember her for the completely unhinged yet amazing “Blade Runner 2049” joint interview with Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford. If you’ve never seen it, you need to. Hammond does what few if any reporters have ever done- getting Harrison to break.]
