Great British Bake Off fans were left ‘terrified’ after the show’s hosts posted about presenter Matt Lucas on social media.
The star announced he would be stepping back from the hit baking show to focus on other projects.
Which is sad, sure, but not quite as sad as how fans interpreted his departure – which was that he had died.
Both Noel Fielding and Paul Hollywood shared emotional farewells to Matt on their Instagram pages, but they were so sincere that several people thought they were obituaries.
Both posts were quickly flooded with comments from panicked people.
Paul has since deleted his, and Noel has edited his caption for clarity. Matt Lucas is still very much alive, everyone.
Noel’s post included the touching words: “I will really miss your spark and huge smile in the tent and I will miss your kindness as a person and to all the bakers. I will miss your sense of the absurd and your silliness.
“I will miss all the times the four of us giggled together. I will miss your ability to turn into a fully formed character at the drop of a hat. I will miss you pretending to be Boris Johnson singing David Bowie songs and i will miss your upbeat nature and positive vibes. “
One person commented to Noel: “this terrified me i thought he was dead.”
Another said: “NOT ME THINKING HE DIED OMFG MY HEART DROPPED”
Someone else wrote: “Oh no!! RIP” before noticing that he was alive and well and adding: “oh nvm he’s fine loll.”
“Thank goodness I read Matt’s post before reading this one, so had context!!!” said another person.
One user commented: “these all look like death announcements.”
Another said: “Not me thinking Matt Lucas was dead. Jesus Christ Noel.”
Matt Lucas is leaving the Great British Bakeoff. Credit: Instagram, @paul.hollywood
And someone else wrote: “This photo is a lot less “matt died” energy than P Hollywood’s. Good lord he scared me.”
On Paul’s post, one person said: “Thank you for deleting the post that made it seem like he was dead.”
Someone else clarified: “He’s not dead everyone he just quit the show!!”
On his departure, Matt wrote: “Farewell Bake Off! It’s been a delicious experience and I can’t imagine a more fun way of spending my summers, but it’s become clear to me that I can’t present both ‘Fantasy Football League’ and ‘Bake Off’ alongside all my other projects.
“So, after three series and 51 episodes, I am cheerfully passing the baguette on to someone else.”
Matt Lucas’s replacement on the Great British Bake Off hasn’t yet been announced.
He has co-presented alongside Noel Fielding since 2020, when Sandi Toksvig stepped back.
Before then, the competition aired on the BBC and was presented by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.
Featured image: Channel 4
TV & Showbiz
First look at new Netflix series House of Guinness filmed in and around Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A highly-anticipated new drama series from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is set to hit Netflix this autumn.
And a series of exciting first look images have now been released.
Knight has traded in the foggy streets of Birmingham for the back alleys and stately mansions of Dublin – as well as its world-renowned brewery, of course – as House of Guinness is set to whisk audiences back to the 1860s, where the powerful and debaucherous titular Guinness family is ‘on the precipice of greatness’.
Set in 19th-century Dublin and New York, the eight-part series explores an epic story inspired by one of Europe’s most famous and enduring dynasties, and begins immediately after the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness.
From the creator of Peaky Blinders, HOUSE OF GUINNESS premieres September 25. Starring Anthony Boyle, Louis Partridge, Emily Fairn, Fionn O’Shea, and James Norton.
The head of the Guinness brewery is dead. Now his children must navigate power, rebellion and scandal…or risk… pic.twitter.com/QzpLNzA842
The story follows the far-reaching impact of Sir Guinness’s will on the fate of his four adult children, Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Ben, as well as on a group of Dublin characters who work and interact with the phenomenon that is Guinness.
The four Guinness siblings are played by actors Anthony Boyle (Arthur), Louis Partridge (Edward), Emily Fairn (Anne), and Fionn O’Shea (Ben).
Audiences get to watch the Guinnesses experience ‘ecstatic highs’ and heartbreaking lows’ as they work to live up to their birthright of black gold.
Other acting names set to appear in the series include James Norton, Niamh McCormack, Seamus O’Hara, David Wilmot, Michael McElhatton, Jack Gleeson, Dervla Kirwan, Hilda Fay, and many more.
First look images of Netflix’s new drama series, House of Guinness, have been released / Credit: Ben Blackall (via Netflix)
Production and filming for House of Guinness commenced from summer 2024 onwards, and some very well-known Greater Manchester places were used as filming locations, such as the Northern Quarter, and Stockport‘s legendary Underbanks.
Mansions in Cheshire and Liverpool were also used as filming locations for the show.
“It’s the extraordinary story of a family who happens to be the inheritors of the biggest brewery in the world,” creator Steven Knight told Netflix.
“They’re young and are given the task of taking on this incredibly successful brand. The first priority is – don’t screw it up. And the second priority is to make Guinness even bigger.”
House of Guinness will air on Netflix on 25 September, with all eight episodes to available to stream straight away.
Featured Image – Ben Blackall (via Netflix)
TV & Showbiz
Classic gameshow Wheel of Fortune is looking for Mancs to take part in next reboot series
Emily Sergeant
Classic gameshow Wheel of Fortune is looking for Mancs to take part in the next series of the popular reboot.
In case you missed it, Wheel of Fortune returned to ITV for eight hour-long episodes – which included two celebrity specials – back in 2024, with beloved and seasoned BAFTA-winning TV host Graham Norton fronting the revival, and just like the original run, the reboot proved to be very popular with audiences.
Not familiar with the show?
Based on the successful global brand, and modelled on the still-ongoing American show of the same name, the original British version of Wheel of Fortune first aired all the way back 1988, and went on to run for a whopping 14 series and 746 episodes before ending 2001.
Classic gameshow Wheel of Fortune is looking for Mancs to take part in the next reboot series / Credit: ITV / ITVX
The show’s premise is basically based around a giant carnival wheel that the contestants have to spin to win themselves a life-changing cash prize.
Just like the original, the reboot is also a ‘thrilling game of skill and luck’.
In each episode, the turn of the wheel secures contestants a cash value before they pick a letter to help them solve the puzzle, where, for every correct letter they reveal in the puzzle, they win multiples of that amount.
A casting call for the upcoming series on the ITV website reads: “We’re looking for contestants to take part in this brand-new series of the classic gameshow, Wheel of Fortune. If you love solving word puzzles and would like a chance to spin the wheel and win big cash prizes, then please apply now.”
Fancy it then? You’ll just need to be over 18 years old and a legal resident of the UK to apply, so if you reckon you’ve got what it takes, then you can find out more and stick an application in before the closing date of 19 September 2025.
Daisy Jackson -
7th December 2022 
