The Great British Bake Off: Alison Hammond replaces Matt Lucas as co-host

Alison Hammond has signed up to replace Matt Lucas as co-host of The Great British Bake Off.

The This Morning presenter will join Noel Fielding on the Channel 4 baking show's next series.

She posted a video on social media featuring miniature models of herself, Fielding and judges Paul Hollywood and Dame Prue Leith, all made out of icing.

In the video, she said she was "absolutely thrilled" and "so very excited".

She wrote: "It's official!! It's happening. The Great British Bake Off! Let's have it - the cake that is. So excited."

Fielding replied on Instagram that he and Hammond would be "two naughty kids together".

He wrote: "Congratulations and welcome to the tent lovely!! We are gonna have an absolute blast together. I can't wait. I'm buzzing. Two naughty kids together :) x x x.x The bakers will love you."

Dame Prue commented: "Huge congratulations Alison, you will be magnificent and I can't wait for your infectious laugh to be ringing through the tent."

And Hollywood said "welcome" with an applause emoji, writing: "See you on [sic] the tent."

Other fans also congratulated her on social media.

Hammond's infectious humour has previously made its mark in the Bake Off tent, when she took part in the celebrity version for Stand Up To Cancer in 2020.

Hollywood praised her biscuits on that occasion, but compared her decoration skills to those of a five-year-old.

Announcing her appointment, executive producer Kieran Smith said: "Alison has already proved herself to be a natural on Bake Off, maybe not as a baker, but as someone who brings an infectious warmth and humour into the tent, we can't wait for this year's bakers to meet her and Noel."

Channel 4's chief content officer Ian Katz said: "Alison is much loved, effortlessly funny and the owner of the best laugh in Britain. She was a huge hit when she appeared on Celebrity Bake Off and we're thrilled to have her back in the tent."

It is the latest career move for a personality who has gone from a contestant on a different reality TV show to one of the best-loved stars on the small screen.

Hammond shot to fame when she took part in series three of Big Brother in 2002. Her stint was memorable for, among other things, the moment she broke an outdoor table by jumping on it while trying to spot a security guard over the perimeter wall.

That year's series also featured Jade Goody and Radio 1's Adele Roberts as well as winner Kate Lawler. Hammond was the second person to be evicted, but that did not stop her career taking off outside the house.

She was soon hired as a roving reporter on ITV's This Morning, becoming a firm favourite for moments like pushing a topless man into a river, almost getting arrested in Pisa and making Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling crack up during an interview.

She was promoted to co-presenter in 2020, appearing alongside Dermot O'Leary on Fridays.

There have also been appearances on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2010 and Strictly Come Dancing, teaming up with Aljaz Skorjanec in 2014. Her popularity as a presenter hasn't quite translated into success in TV contests, though - she finished 10th in both.

Hammond moved behind the judges' desk for BBC game show I Can See Your Voice in 2021, and made an impression on Hollwood A-listers when she co-hosted the Bafta film awards with Richard E Grant in February.

Now, her down-to-earth personality and irrepressible laughter will become a new part of the recipe in the Bake Off tent.