'The Great British Baking Show' Announces Alison Hammond as Host
In what might be the best news the tent has seen since moving to Channel 4, Love Production announced the newest host joining The Great British Baking Show starting with Season 14 will be Alison Hammond. Hammond replaces Matt Lucas, who exited the tent after January’s 2023 New Year’s Festive Special. Lucas’ departure came after three seasons marked by COVID filming and controversy, most recently for some less-than-tasteful ethnic jokes during GBBO’s Mexican Week in Season 13 and a stint where he was a contestant during the Celebrity edition of the series.
Hammond is the third host to join the tent to pair with Noel Fielding since the show moved from the BBC to Channel 4. Unlike Fielding’s previous partners, Lucas and Sandi Toksvig (who also lasted three seasons), Hammond is not a comedian by trade. The actress began her career in the 1980s-era sitcom Palace Hill, but her big break came in 2002 when she was a contestant during the early years of Big Brother. Since then, Hammond has been a TV personality staple as part of ITV’s long-running program This Morning, where she is a reporter and presenter.
Hammond already has a history with GBBO, appearing as part of the Celebrity Stand Up Tio Cancer edition in 2020. She did not win then, but her quote from the ten, “Good baking comes from the heart, and I've got a lot of heart,” has been played as one of those moments that sum up the show’s ethos. (It helped the celebrity edition she was on was filmed just before COVID and aired mid-lockdown in May 2020.)
