Alison Hammond has made her debut on GBBO, and she was everything I wanted her to be… The This Morning presenter is EXACTLY the right host to replace Matt Lucas – and fans agreed, with one gushing: “Queen Alison Hammond has arrived.”
Noel Fielding returned to host the popular baking show on Tuesday (September 26, 2023), with brand-new sidekick Alison Hammond. The pair welcomed 12 new amateur bakers, all hoping to win the show and some lucrative deals.
While the bakers remain at the heart of the show, many viewers tune in for Paul Hollywood‘s icy stare, or Prue’s colourful ensembles. And the presenters have always been the glue that keeps the different elements of the show together.
While I was sad to hear Matt Lucas was stepping down after three years, I was pretty stoked to hear Alison Hammond was taking over. But she still had to prove herself… No pun intended!
Why Alison Hammond is perfect to host GBBO
There’s a reason why Alison Hammond is one of very few Big Brother stars to last the distance. Let’s not forget, she was the second contestant booted out of the third series of the reality show in 2002… Which usually means they’re destined to never be seen again.
Alison is smarter than people give her credit for. More than two decades on, she’s co-presenter on This Morning, and has just started one of the most prestigious gigs on primetime TV – hosting The Great British Bake Off. All this from a Birmingham-born reality star, who couldn’t afford to go to drama school.
She’s a grafter, and she’s done more to survive in the industry than her This Morning co-host Holly Willoughby. More than that, though, Alison is 100% F-U-N!
Alison is always smiling, always laughing and has a warm personality. What’s not to love? She made the GBBO contestants feel at ease, bounced well off of Noel Fielding, and even threw in a few beaver jokes.
Of course, she still has plenty of haters. Some GBBO viewers called her “annoying”, “ghastly” and “so far up herself”. But say what you like about Alison, she’s one of a kind and doesn’t fit into any TV stereotype.
She likes cakes!
I’m not being cruel here, but Alison is open about her love of food. She likes cakes! Speaking ahead of the GBBO launch, Alison admitted that she’d sampled all of the cakes during filming. She said: “I have put on a stone. I couldn’t believe it. […] I am just going to get bigger!”
However, Noel Fielding has previously admitted: “I don’t eat anything, I’m like a plant.” In fact, the comedian stopped eating sugar to lose a stone to play singer Alice Cooper on-screen. He said at the time: “You can’t just get straight back on to sugar, as it’s quite a powerful thing.”
Now am I asking too much to expect the host of GBBO to like eating cake? As a cake lover, hosting GBBO would be my dream job – and I’m glad Alison is living her best life on it! Her sheer joy at presenting the show shone through in episode 1. She’s a super fan, and her enthusiasm is infectious!
Another huge plus is that Alison knows exactly how the bakers feel as she’s been through it herself before. She took part in the The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off in 2020. Infamously, she thought the doors of her oven had fallen off.
Fans LOVED Alison Hammond as a host on GBBO
Great British Bake Off fans really embraced Alison Hammond as the new host. While there were some who threatened to boycott the Channel 4 show – bye then! – most thought she was just what the series needed.
One tweeted: “Alison Hammond’s arrival on #GBBO has fixed the show and also maybe my life.”
Another typed: “Queen Alison Hammond has arrived #GBBO.”
A third said: “Alison Hammond is the perfect addition to the tent. #GBBO.”
“I have high hopes for Alison Hammond,” said one more. “She is a warm and generous person with a brilliant laugh. I think she is great casting.”
Others called Alison “the icing on the cake”, a “perfect fit”, and “a great addition to GBBO”.
This viewer couldn’t have said it better, when they wrote: “Alison Hammond hosting Bake Off feels like something we’ve all waited our lives for without even knowing it. Like since the day I was born this is all I longed for #GBBO.”
Read more: Alison Hammond reveals ‘heartwrenching’ moment on Bake Off which reduced her to tears
Great British Bake Off continues on Tuesdays at 8pm on Channel 4.
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