Channel 4 is on the search for a brand new Great
British Bake Off presenter, following the news that Sandi Toksvig is stepping down as host.
While Noel Fielding is to stay on as presenter, Sandi’s time in the Bake Off tent is coming to an end after three years so she can focus on her other work commitments.
In the next few months, we expect that rumours will be rife as to who will be taking over the presenting job, but we already have some thoughts.
These are the stars we’d love to see landing the new Bake Off judging role when the hit Channel 4 show returns to our screens later this year...Jo Brand For the last five series, Jo Brand has done a stellar job on the spin-off show Extra Slice, and has come to be known as a much-loved member of the Bake Off family.
With Sandi now gone, we think Jo would be just as reliable if she were given a promotion to the main show, and her dry sense of humour would be a brilliant foil for Noel’s more surreal sensibilities.Miriam MargolyesWhen Noel Fielding was first announced as the new host of Bake Off in 2017, he was a real wild card addition, and we think that’s exactly what the incomparable Miriam Margolyes would be if she were to get her (oven) mits on the presenting role.
Literally, every time Miriam is on TV it’s a total joy, if not an absolute scream, and her unique senses of humour and wonder would play out fabulously as she grew closer to the contestants in that famous tent every week. Plus, we can only imagine how she’d get on with all those Bake Off innuendos...Alison HammondThere’s no two ways about it: Alison Hammond is A Laugh.
With an appearance on Celebs Go Dating and her own rumoured teatime show thought to be in the works, 2020 will surely be the Year Of The Hammond. And what better way for that to come to fruition than on one of the biggest show’s on telly?
Alison is currently gearing up for an appearance on the forthcoming celebrity version of the show, too, so let’s hope her baking stint also doubled up as an audition...Kathy Burke She’d been away from our screens for a few years, but Kathy Burke returned with a bang in 2019, with her fantastic Channel 4 documentary series Kathy Burke’s All Woman.
The three-parter saw Kathy interviewing women from all walks of life about a variety of topics, with her trademark humour and relatability, and we just know that would translate brilliantly with the contestants in the Bake Off tent, who frequently need a shoulder to cry on.
We also reckon her down-to-earth and straight-forward style would work beautifully with Noel, in much the same way as Sandi has for the last three years.Richard AyoadeWe have to be honest, after the job was previously held by Sandi and the presenting duo Mel and Sue, we’re keen for it to go to a woman this time around.
If it does go to a man, though, we would want it to be Richard Ayoade, who not only does a brilliant job with Noel every year on Channel 4′s Big Fat Quiz of The Year, but was also heavily rumoured for the job when Bake Off first made the jump from the BBC.Davina McCallWe all know why Davina McCall is so brilliant at what she does – she’s energetic, she’s fun and whatever project she attaches herself to, she clearly really cares about it.
Years of chatting to contestants on Big Brother and The Million Pound Drop (not to mention being privy to emotional reunions every week on Long Lost Family) means she’d be totally at ease with those contestants in the tent, while also bringing enough enthusiasm to match Noel.
However, she did previously rule herself out of the gig a few years ago, citing her sugar-free diet as her resaon. But Davina, with the job open once again, we’d love you to reconsider... Siobhan McSweeneyWe truly didn’t think we could love the stars of Derry Girls anymore, but last year’s Bake Off/Derry Girls cross-over special well and truly proved us wrong.
A particular star of the show was Siobhan McSweeney, better known to fans of the Channel 4
comedy as Sister Michael, and if having her back as host is the only way to get her back in the Bake Off tent, then so be it.
Seriously, though, we do think Siobhan’s sense of humour would lend itself brilliantly to Bake Off, and having struggled with some of the challenges herself, she’d certainly have empathy for the contestants. Roisin ConatyShe’s been working in the world of comedy for more than a decade now, but 2019 was truly a great year for Roisin Conaty, beginning with a role in Ricky Gervais’ hit
Netflix show After Life and ending in a coveted appearance as a panellist on Channel 4′s Big Fat Quiz Of The Year.
We’d love to see the Bake Off production team going with a presenter whose star is on the rise rather than someone more established in the TV world, and with a background in comedy, Roisin would certainly be able to hold her own in the tent, with Noel as her co-host.Nadiya HussainWe know her name has come up a million times when it comes to Bake Off presenting rumours, but Nadiya Hussain remains one of the show’s most famous and well-loved winners ever, so it would be fitting if she were to return as its new host.
Since leaving Bake Off, Nadiya has fronted plenty of cookery shows, so we know she’s more than capable in front of the cameras, and while she may not be as wacky and off-the-wall as Noel, she is still a lot of fun, and would be able to offer an insight to the contestants like no other. Helena GarciaThen again, if any former contestant is going to co-present the show with Noel, surely it should be fan favourite and queen of all things gothic, Helena. Joanna LumleyYou just know this would be amazing, don’t you?
Joanna Lumley would fit right in with judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, and while she and Noel might not seem like a natural fit, she’s made it work in a
BBC documentary with Will.i.am and all kinds of unlikely guest stars in Ab Fab, so we think they could be brilliant on Bake Off.
Plus, imagine her dulcet tones in all of those explanatory VTs (not to mention the constant innuendos).Mel and SueCome on, can you imagine?READ MORE: Nadiya Hussain Overwhelmed After Being Awarded MBE: 'Even My Car Is Crying Tears' Paul
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