Why did Sandi Toksvig leave The Great British Bake Off? Details explored

Former host of The Great British Bake Off, Sandi Toksvig, has been quite vocal about her experience on the show and the reasons she left it. She co-hosted alongside Noel Fielding from 2017 until her departure in 2020.

In an interview with The Times of London on October 6, 2024, Toksvig once again dived into the aspect of her life that led to her decision to leave the show. She candidly shared that she "walked away from the biggest paycheck of her life" when she left The Great British Bake Off.

While looking back on her time on the show, she added that it felt like the "longest three years" of her life and she "didn't enjoy the process." She mentioned:

“Cakes are readily available in the shops. I didn’t enjoy the process."

Toksvig elaborated that she used to stand for long hours, after which judges Prue and Paul tasted everything. She added that she didn’t speak or taste anything and felt like she was "not contributing" enough.

She further shared that her psychotherapist wife, Debbie, was one of the people who persuaded her to leave the show. Her wife could see that Toksvig wasn't clearly happy with her work on the show and asked her to quit. The former The Great British Bake Off host also wasn't comfortable being at the center of public attention for too long as part of the "hugely popular show."

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"So I can spend more time with my other work" — Sandi Toksvig on exiting The Great British Bake Off

Sandi Toksvig joined as the host of The Great British Bake Off when the baking show first arrived on Channel 4 in 2017. In her departing statement published on January 16, 2020, Toksvig shared that she took the decision so she could "spend more time" with her other projects.

“When stepping down from a job it is quite common for people to say they are doing so in order to spend more time with their family. Unusually I am departing from the Great British Bake Off so I can spend more time with my other work,” Sandi said.

Since her exit in 2020, the position has been filled by two different personalities. Comedian Matt Lucas stepped in for Toksvig when she left in 2020. Lucas was replaced by Alison Hammond at the end of 2022. Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding have been consistent with the baking show and have also returned for the recent season.

Before Toksvig joined the baking show, she was part of the BBC series QI. She has been presenting the show ever since 2016. Ahead of entering her eighth season of hosting the show, she appeared in an interview with Radio Times magazine on January 15, 2024. Toksvig compared her experience on the quiz with The Great British Bake Off, as she said:

"I’m still enjoying it, that’s the thing. To be honest, I left Bake Off because I stopped having fun. I was literally standing there watching meringues dry and thinking, 'Oh my God, my brain is atrophying.'"

Toksvig added that after being on the show for three years, she got a feeling to leave it and "do something else". While the pay cheque she was receiving from the show was "nice", it didn't work for her and she had to leave. She said:

"I’m in love enough with the business to think, 'OK, that’s a nice pay cheque, but it doesn’t work for me. I’ll move on and do something else.' I hope QI will be one of my legacy projects. "

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The Great British Bake Off has returned for season 15, with its premiere on September 24, 2024, on Channel 4. Twelve contestants will compete against each other "to impress judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith with their baking skills." Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding have returned to co-host the show.

The Great British Bake Off 2024 episodes air every Tuesday on Channel 4.