Meet the New Host of 'The Great British Baking Show'

If world events have you retreating to the comfort of your Netflix queue, there's a good chance the soothing, team-spirited reality "competition" (that word is used lightly) series The Great British Baking Show is on the menu.

But as any dedicated fan knows, the show—known as The Great British Bake Off in the U.K.—has gone through at least one seismic shift in its 10-season run, a move from the BBC to Channel 4 (and a move from PBS to Netflix in the U.S.), which also saw the replacement of co-hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins and beloved judge Mary Berry by comedians Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding and chef Prue Leith, joining the only consistent cast member, Paul Hollywood. Now the makeup of that staple quartet is changing again as Sandi Toksvig announced in January that she would be stepping down as host. But her replacement is another well-known comedy personality (at least to Brits, anyway): Matt Lucas.

?s=20

Lucas is probably best known for his countless characters and impressions in the sketch comedy series Little Britain, which he co-created with longtime collaborator David Walliams. The series, which examined the lives of dozens of characters all played by Lucas and Walliams, ran for three seasons in the U.K. and a single America-based season in the States on HBO. The duo also reteamed for the airport operations mockumentary series Come Fly With Me. Lucas has appeared in films including Paddington, Bridesmaids, and Alice in Wonderland. True Anglophile TV fans in the U.S. might also know Lucas from his stint on Doctor Who.

“I’m chuffed to bits to be joining the most delicious show on television," Lucas said, according to Deadline. "I can’t wait to break bread with Noel, Prue and Paul and meet the brilliant bakers. And bearing in mind my love of cake, I’ve already ordered some much larger trousers in anticipation.”

Toksvig's departure was, according to the comedian, based on wanting to spend more time on other projects. “As my waistline will testify, Bake Off is an all-consuming show," she said in a statement. "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. Bake Off is a wonderful program which has already proved it can happily withstand a change of hosting personnel. The reason for that, of course, is that the true stars of the show are the bakers themselves. I wish everyone well.”

Lucas will take over hosting duties as the 11th season of The Great British Bake Off begins shooting this spring.