There’s a new cohost coming to the tent.
Beloved UK morning show presenter Alison Hammond will be the next cohost of The Great British Bake Off, the British network that produces the cooking show announced Friday. Hammond will be replacing host Matt Lucas.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining The Great British Bake Off and can’t wait to meet this year’s bakers,” Hammond said in a statement released by Channel 4. “It’s a huge honor to be back in the tent and I can’t wait to get started.”
She also posted a video to Twitter of her in fondant form alongside cohost Noel Fielding and judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood.
It’s Official!! It’s happening The Great British Bake off ! let’s have it - The cake that is 🤣 so excited @BritishBakeOff @Channel4 @PrueLeith @PaulHollywood @noelfielding11 #GBBO
Hammond, who currently hosts ITV’s This Morning program, previously competed on a 2020 celebrity special of Bake Off.
She will be the first person of color to serve as a host on the show, which is entering its 14th season.
“Alison is much loved, effortlessly funny and the owner of the best laugh in Britain,” Channel 4 Chief Content Officer Ian Katz said in the same statement. “She was a huge hit when she appeared on Celebrity Bake Off and we’re thrilled to have her back in the tent.”
Hammond will also be familiar to some viewers outside the UK for her viral 2017 interview of Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling, in which her infectious laugh and comic timing charmed the actors.
Another viral 2018 clip saw her accidentally knocking a model into a river while presenting the weather on a floating map.
Lucas, a controversial host whose humor was not loved by all viewers, announced in December that he was leaving the show after three seasons due to scheduling commitments.
Production on the next season will begin this spring and air later this year on Channel 4 in the UK and on Netflix in the US.