TV icon Jenny Eclair says she was passed up twice as the presenter of the Great British Bake Off, despite getting to the final two candidates back in 2020, missing out to Matt Lucas.
When Alison Hammond joined The Great British Bake Off in 2023, most thought she was a natural choice, but comedian Jenny Eclair was hoping it would be her who got the call.
“I’d have loved to present Bake Off! I was second to Matt, you know,” Jenny tells Mirror, referencing when, in 2020, fellow comedian Matt Lucas took over from Sandi Toksvig, in presenting the Channel 4 show.
“I was in that audition process, and it came down to me and Matt. I would have loved that gig. I’d still be there now if I got it! But I auditioned and then I got a big bouquet of flowers the day before they announced Matt, with a little note saying ‘next time’.”
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However, in 2023, it was This Morning star Alison that got the call to take over from Matt. “I don’t know what happened to next time!” laughs Jenny.
Alison hosts the show alongside Noel Fielding, while Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith serve as judges. And while Jenny never quite made the presenting line-up, she has been inside the famous tent, appearing on Stand Up To Cancer’s Celebrity version of the show in 2020.
Losing out to her former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! campmate Alison wasn’t so bad, though, says Jenny. who is now a big fan of the This Morning star. Jenny and Alison appeared in the jungle back in 2010, alongside the likes of Shaun Ryder, Gillian McKeith and eventual winner, Stacey Solomon.
“I always knew Stacey would do well, it was obvious she was going to win [I’m A Celeb] from the beginning. But Alison, I think her career has been just as much a surprise for her as it has for anyone. She’s found a really great niche and is a regular in people’s sitting rooms, I really do love watching her on Bake Off,” says Jenny.
With a second All Stars series of I’m A Celeb on the horizon, would Jenny be up for facing some critters again?
“Oh, the money would have to be really good for me to consider that. As in, a life-changing amount of money. And I don’t work Tuesdays, do I? I would need to commute from South Africa or take Arlo with me,” she laughs, explaining that Tuesday is “Nana day”, when she looks after two-year-old grandson Arlo.
For now, she’ll stick to being a little closer to home, and it sounds like she’s got a pretty jam-packed schedule as it is. Heading off to continue her stand-up tour, Jokes, Jokes, Jokes Live! the day after our interview, Jenny still has plenty of important prep to do. “I need to get my car sweets for the journey. And biscuits, I always bring biscuits for the front row audience.”
The show is based on her 2024 memoir, which delved into Jenny’s family life, her upbringing and the changing face of women in comedy – as hilarious, insightful and disrespectful as you’d imagine it to be.
“It’s a lot lighter than the book, it’s all jokes and punchlines,” says Jenny of the tour, which runs until late November. “It becomes less personal to me and more general to the audience, as most people have experienced some kind of parent loss, siblings, school, first love, having babies…
“So, it should strike a chord with everyone. It’s a mix of a professional look-back with personal bits and some gossip from I’m A Celeb thrown in.”
And as one tour comes to an end, another begins, as Jenny will be back on stage in the lead-up to Christmas for a string of shows for her hit podcast Older And Wider , which she co-hosts with writer friend Judith Holder, as they natter about life.
For tickets to Jenny Eclair’s stand-up show Jokes, Jokes, Jokes Live! visit Jennyeclair.com. Tickets for the Older And Wider Live podcast shows in London this Christmas are available now from leicestersquaretheatre.com/show/older-wider-live-at-christmas.
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