Photo: Mark Bourdillon
Over the course of several seasons,The Great British Baking Showhas bid adieu to some beloved judges and hosts.
While judgesPaul Hollywood,Prue Leithand hostNoel Fieldingstill represent the face of the show, known asThe Great British Bake Offin the U.K., some legends — most notably culinary icon Mary Berry — have moved on to a wealth of other programs and projects.
Here is everything to know about what the stars who have leftGBBSare up to now.
Sue Perkins
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Since leavingBake Offin 2016, Sue Perkins has continued to make appearances across several television networks in the United Kingdom, as well as the digital streaming space.
Perkins has traveled the world in a variety of docuseries bringing her from locales like the Mekong River, Kolkata, and even taking a swing at #vanlife with journeys across California and Colorado. Most recently, Perkins' new 2022 Netflix series,Sue Perkins: Perfectly Legal,found theGBBOalum touring around Latin American countries engaging in shenanigans thatfeellike they should be illegal (like joining a death cult in Mexico or taking mind altering drugs in La Paz).
Mel Giedroyc
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Women of the Year
Mel Giedroyc has returned to the world of comedy since herdeparture fromBake Offin 2016.Prior to being iconicBake Offhosts, Giedroyc and Perkins worked together on several occasions as the comedy duo, Mel and Sue. In addition to being the host of Channel 4’sHandmade: Britain’s Best Woodworkerin 2021, some of Giedroyc’s other television programming leans more into the comedic material that launched her career.
Mary Berry
Mary Berry.Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Like Perkins and Giedroyc,Mary Berry leftthe show in 2016 when the program moved from BBC to another British network, Channel 4. While the iconic judge may have parted ways with the competition program, Berry has remained active as a host and judge on shows across BBC networks.
Aside from appearing in a variety of Christmas specials (including one with Prince William and Kate Middletonin 2019) and continuing to write cookbooks, Berry has assumed the role as both a host and a judge on numerous programs. One notable hosting appearance includes Mary Berry’s Country House Secrets,a miniseries in which the formerBake Offhost tours some of the stately homes of Britain and explores their history through food.
Berry has also served as judge for a variety of shows. In 2017, when Berry was announced as judge on Britain’s Best Home Cook, she said in a BBC statement, “I am never more at home than when I have my judging hat on.” Most recently, she was a judge for The Platinum Pudding Competition, a nationwide search to find a brand new dish to be named inQueen Elizabeth’s honor for her Platinum Jubilee, a celebration of the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.She introduced Camilla, the then-Duchess of Cornwall, to announce the winnerin a BBC special that chronicled the competition.
Sandi Toksvig
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty
In 2020, whenSandi Toksvig leftThe Great British Baking Show,which she co-hosted along Fielding, she tweeted, “When stepping down from a job it is quite common for people to say they are doing so in order to spend more time with their family. Unusually I am departing from theGreat British Bake Offso I can spend more time with my other work.”
Since her departure, she has continued to expand her endeavors in multiple different ways. Toksvig is politically active: a co-founder of the Women’s Equality Party in the United Kingdom, she has devoted some of her time to activism. The formerBake Offhost also works on creating live entertainment productions. Aside from a bounty of theater shows she’s directed and written, Toksvig has taken her one woman show,Sandi Toksvig Live!on tour. Unfortunately,she had to cancel a leg of her tour in New Zealand earlier this monthdue to being hospitalized in Australia. She has since been released, per astatement on her Twitter.
Toksvig can also be seen onQI,the long-running British show short forQuite Interesting.She took over the presenter role on the comedy game show after Stephen Fry departed in 2016.
Matt Lucas
British comedian Matt Lucas in July 2017.Albert L. Ortega/Getty
In December, now-former hostMatt Lucas announced his departurefrom the show after 3 series. In a statement he posted on Instagram and Twitter, he wrote, “It’s become clear to me that I can’t present bothFantasy Football LeagueandBake Offalongside all my other projects.”
The newestBake Offalum will be focusing some of his time as a host of the show,Fantasy Football League,a reboot of a program of the same name in which Lucas and Elis James combine comedy with their love of soccer.
The actor has an extensive career in theater and film. Most recently,Lucas will be featured in the upcoming filmWonka,so fans of theGBBShost will be able to see him on the big screen in December 2023.
source: people.com
