Noel Fielding skipping Great British Baking Show Xmas special

Noel Fielding will be replaced for the upcoming annual Great British Baking Show Christmas special, but for a very good reason.

Ask anyone who is a fan of the Great British Baking Show what one of the best parts of the show is and they will likely tell you co-host Noel Fielding. Since he was added to the show in 2017, in the wake of the the big personnel changes wrought by the move to a new network, Fielding has become a beloved part of the show’s continued success.

This includes hosting the annual Holiday episodes that have become part of the GBBS universe since 2016. The pair of specials, one aired on Christmas Day and the other on New Years Day, sees the return of past contestants to bake in a trio of holiday-themed challenges.

However, this year is going to see some changes, but for a very good reason.

Noel Fielding will not be hosting the Christmas specials.

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It is being reported by Hello Magazine that Fielding will be replaced for the Holiday specials by Tom Allen, the host of Extra Slice, the GBBS recap show. The report stresses that the move is only temporary and only for the 2020 Holiday specials. Be assured the rest of the regular gang will be in the tent to see James Hillery, Ruby Bhogal, Rosie Brandreth-Poynter and Jamie Finn go head to head.

So why is Fielding taking the Holidays specials off? Turns out it is because Fielding became a father for the second time.

Fielding and his partner Lliana Bird had their second child, a daughter they named Iggy, this past October and he is on paternity leave from the show. The pair have been together since 2010 and also have another girl named Dali who was born in 2018.

Fielding should be all set to resume his hosting duties with Matt Lucas when the Great British Baking Show returns in 2021 for Series 12. We send our congratulations to the couple and wish them nothing but the best.

What do you think GBBS fans? Are you looking forward to a seeing a new person in the tent? Or are you afraid it just won’t be the same without Noel? Leave a comment below and share what you think.