Replacing the duo are new comedic pair Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding, but The IT Crowd star and panel show regular Noel has revealed that he had to hide the job from close friend Mel.
Noel and Mel were working together on Channel Dave’s Taskmaster after Mel’s departure and Noel’s appointment, but the TV presenter had to keep the fact he would be replacing her a secret.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk and other press, Noel said: “Mel was lovely. I was doing Taskmaster when I found out that I’d got this so I wasn’t allowed to tell Mel.
“She’d ask, ‘What are you doing next love?’ and I’d say, ‘I don’t know’.
“I didn’t realise that I’d have to put the tent up. It took me about three weeks on my own. It was a nightmare.”
Mentioning the former hosts in the very first scene of the relaunched programme, Noel explained how their exit was like a “huge elephant in the room” that needed to be mentioned.
He continued: “We couldn’t not mention it because it would be like a huge elephant in the room. Everyone knows it has moved and we are friends with Mel and Sue.
“Mel was lovely. She said she felt like she should hand me a baton like a baguette. I love the show. I was a fan of the show.”
The Mighty Boosh star added: “One of my friends Serge [Pizzorno] from Kasabian said, ‘Ah, you should get on this, it’s great, you’ll love it’. So I watched it back-to-back and really enjoyed it and then I thought this is such a nice vibe and I really liked it.
“I don’t bake, I’m just a big fan. When they asked me to do it, I was really staggered and I thought that this was just too big an opportunity.
“Also, I really wanted to work with Sandi and I think Sandi was already in. I thought we’d be good together comedically.”
The Great British Bake Off launches tomorrow night on Channel 4 at 8pm.
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