Noel Fielding opens up about ‘weird’ and ‘difficult’ start to working with friend Matt Lucas on Bake Off

Lucas has been replaced on the show by Alison Hammond

Noel Fielding has opened up about his experience working with Matt Lucas on the Channel 4 series The Great British Bake Off.

The comedians served as co-presenters on the popular cooking show throughout its 11th, 12th and 13th series.

Last December, Lucas, 49, announced he was stepping down from his Bake Off role, later revealing that the decision was made so he would have time to create a new sketch series with former Little Britain collaborator David Walliams.

Fielding, 50, has presented on Bake Off since 2017. Following Lucas’s departure, Fielding will be joined on the series by This Morning host Alison Hammond.

Speaking to Radio Times, Fielding suggested that his friendship with Lucas had made presenting together “a bit weird”, joking that they fulfilled similar roles in their respective double acts.

Lucas is known as part of a double act with Walliams, while Fielding has often partnered with Julian Barratt, in projects such as The Mighty Boosh.

“With Matt it was a bit weird, because we’re mates and are probably the same low-status person from our respective double acts, where he has [David] Walliams and I have Julian [Barrett],” Fielding commented.

“It was more difficult to find how we worked together, but we managed to find a way,” he added.

He went on to praise his new co-presenter Hammond, who presents the ITV chat show This Morning every Friday alongside Dermot O’Leary.

Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas on ‘Bake Off' (Channel 4)

“Alison’s hilarious, but she’s not a comedian trying to make jokes, which made it a bit easier,” Fielding said.

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“We weren’t trying to work out how to do it, we just did it. We came together like jazz musicians. It was effortless and we laughed a lot.”

Earlier this week, Bake Off judge Prue Leith also weighed in on Hammond’s Bake Off debut.

“She’s energised the show... it’s amazing,” Leith, 83, told the Press Association of Hammond. “I mean, she’s such a life-enhancing ball of fire, she’s fantastic.

“She says anything – she has almost no filter – she hugs all the bakers. And she is always the same on set, off set, when she’s in the make-up chair... she’s just herself. She can’t be anything else, but the loud happy Brummie who loves people. She’s just hilarious, but also so sympathetic and sweet. The bakers all adore her and, I must say, so do we.”

The Great British Bake Off returns to Channel 4 at 8pm on Tuesday 26 September.

You can read about all the contestants on the forthcoming series here.