‘The Great British Baking Show’ Fans Stunned by Star’s Dramatic New Look

Former Great British Baking Show co-host Matt Lucas shocked fans on Wednesday night (August 26) after debuting a new look on the British evening magazine program The One Show.

Lucas, who hosted the popular baking competition series alongside Noel Fielding from 2020 to 2023, showed off his new trim look and a “bizarre beard” as he chatted with hosts Clara Amfo and JB Gill. The facial hair included a mustache and goatee that extended below the chin.

“I’m growing this bizarre beard,” Lucas told the hosts.

“Well, let’s talk about that. I don’t think we’ve ever seen you this way,” Amfo responded.

“Well, I’ve never ever tried,” the comedian replied, revealing that he’s growing the beard ahead of his stint as Fagin in the West End production of Oliver. “I grew a mustache for three weeks in the pandemic, but I mean, you know, I’ve talked about this before… I have alopecia.”

Lucas revealed that he lost all his hair when he was six years old, but as of seven weeks ago, he stopped shaving to see what would happen. “And this is what happened,” he said, joking, “My aim is to keep growing it down to my ankles and then when I’m at the football and it’s freezing in the winter…”

Phillip Faraone/FilmMagic; One Show YouTube

The Little Britain alum also surprised fans with his trimmer look. Lucas began his weight loss journey after concerns about his family’s medical history. Speaking on The Mid•Point with Gabby Logan podcast in 2022, Lucas revealed, “I’m 48, my dad died when he was 52 very suddenly, his dad died I think at 56, so I was looking at the law of averages here.”

“I was very big, and I was getting bigger in the pandemic actually,” he admitted. “Sort of not being very active, not really going out, not seeing people, just eating a lot of roast potatoes… I was so big I couldn’t really fit on screen anymore.”

After changing his diet, Lucas dropped significant weight, revealing, “I’ve gone from maybe an XXL, sometimes I was an XXXL, down to a medium now I think. Although medium is sometimes big on me and sometimes it’s small on me.”

Fans on social media reacted with surprise to Lucas’ new look, with his beard and weight loss as the main topics of conversation.

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“Didn’t recognise Matt Lucas, quite a change since I last seen him. Looking good though,” wrote one X user.

“A slimmer Matt Lucas looks like a different person,” said another.

“They definitely said Matt Lucas was on #theoneshow tonight …. still waiting,” quipped one fan.

“I just can’t compute Matt Lucas as a thin man,” another added.