Entertainment
After three years of hilarious cake puns and general wholesomeness, Sandi Toksvig is leaving The Great British Bake Off. The tent won’t be the same without her, and who’s going to look after Noel Fielding? For all we know, he’s already shut himself in the fridge again out of sadness. But who could replace Sandi Toksvig?
First off, let's look into why Toksvig is leaving in the first place. Because this is big news and I'm not sure how OK I am about it. “Unusually I am departing from the Great British Bake Off so I can spend more time with my other work,” she said in a statement on Twitter. “As my waistline will testify, Bake Off is an all consuming show. Spending time with Prue, Paul and Noel has been one of the great pleasures of my life. These are friendships which I know will continue beyond the confines of television.”
Fielding’s reaction to the news was as sweet as ever, saying he feels like “Tom without Jerry” and The Rolling Stone’s “Mick without a Keef”. “Double acts are rare [a] rare and magical beast and working with you was a pleasure,” he tweeted. So who’s going to match Fielding’s off-beat comedy as well as Toskvig? I’ve got some ideas…
1Nadiya Hussain
Already cited as the most likely pick, Nadiya Hussain is the perfect choice to take over from Toksvig. 2020 marks five years since Hussain won Bake Off, and she has since gone on to achieve fantastic milestones, including publishing a dozen books, her own cooking show, and a few documentaries.
2Julian Barratt
After teasing a return of The Mighty Boosh in the new year, wouldn’t this be the perfect beginning for a 2020 reunion? Surreal chaos would shroud the tent for sure, but what a throwback it would be to see Julian Barratt and Fielding in such a weird circumstance.
3Olivia Coleman
The likelihood of this happening is very slim, but can you imagine Olivia Coleman co-presenting Bake Off? I would give everything to watch that, even for one episode. Thanks to her starring role on The Crown, however, I doubt she has the time to do anything other than acting let alone appear on Bake Off.
4Richard Ayoade
If you’ve seen clips of Richard Ayoade and Fielding together on Big Fat Quiz of the Year, you’ll know that these two hosting Bake Off would be a sight to behold. Fielding’s bizarre humour mixed with Ayoade’s deadpan sarcasm would provide some uniquely hilarious commentary, that’s for sure.
5Emma Thompson
Again, like Coleman, there’s a slim chance of this happening, but a girl can dream. Her quick-fire wit would work so well alongside Fielding, and she’d for sure have Paul and Prue in stitches as well. Plus, Thompson’s husband Greg Wise won the celebrity version of the show last year, so what could be better than to have Thompson hosting?
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