Entertainment

Dust cake? Fans remember Little Britain character as Matt Lucas joins Bake Off

The comedian and actor’s appointment was largely praised by fans, but some asked why a woman was not chosen.
The comedian and actor’s appointment was largely praised by fans, but some asked why a woman was not chosen. The comedian and actor’s appointment was largely praised by fans, but some asked why a woman was not chosen.

Fans of The Great British Bake Off have joked about dust potentially featuring in the show as Matt Lucas joined the presenting team.

The comedian and actor is replacing Sandi Toksvig on the baking programme, and will co-host alongside Noel Fielding.

Viewers referenced Lucas’s Little Britain character Marjorie Dawes, who ran a weight loss group called Fat Fighters and would frequently tell her clients to eat “a little bit of dust” in a bid to shed the pounds.

In his guise as Marjorie, Lucas was also known for exclaiming: “Oh man, I love the cake!”

Following the announcement, Lucas posted a picture of himself in character as the Fat Fighters group leader holding a plate of iced buns, cakes and biscuits.

Fans of both Bake Off and Little Britain appeared delighted at the news of Lucas joining the team, with one quipping on Twitter: “Looking forward to dust week.”

Another wrote: “You’ll be needing DUST at some point.”

One simply asked if he would have some “dust cake?” while on the show, and another wrote: “Dust anybody, dust anybody, dust anybody you can have as much dust as you want.”

One fan tweeted a gif of Lucas as Marjorie, saying: “Yes, cake, we all like a bit of cake, don’t we? I know I do, I love a bit of cake. I do. I just like cake.”

They added: “If Matt Lucas doesn’t Do this on The ‘Great British Bake Off’ then what’s the point?!”

“Omg matt lucas hosting bake off with noel?? Yes!!!! If he does not bring out marjorie dawes even once i’ll be disappointed,” one fan posted on the social media site.

They added that they “look forward to matt and noel” and the “chemistry and wackiness they bring”.

However, some Bake Off fans were disappointed that a woman, or a person of colour, was not chosen to replace Toksvig.

“Obviously no female comedians were available looking for work,” one tweeted, while another said: “Would’ve been nice if it was a woman or perhaps *record scratch* a person of colour but go off bake off xxxxx.”

Another commented: “I mean I love Bake Off but this should have been an opportunity to bring some diversity…”

When Bake Off launched in 2010, its two presenters were Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.

They left the programme when the baking competition moved from the BBC to Channel 4, and they were replaced by Toksvig and Fielding in 2017.

Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood will return as the judges for the forthcoming series, which will start filming in spring.