Jo Brand voted favourite candidate to take over as Bake Off host

More than 1,300 readers had their say in the RadioTimes poll. Comedian Brand, who currently presents spin-off show An Extra Slice, came out on top with just over 20% of the votes.

In addition to her Extra Slice duties, Brand has previously presented The Great Sport Relief Bake Off and The Great Comic Relief Bake Off, so she clearly has pedigree with the show.

In second place, Noel Fielding’s former Mighty Boosh collaborator Julian Barratt scored just under 18% of the vote, while comedian Richard Ayoade – who has also worked with Fielding in the past on Channel 4's Big Fat Quiz of the Year and Gadget Man – came in third with just over 15%.

Other contenders who featured in the poll included broadcaster Sara Cox, former Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain and popular presenter Rylan Clark-Neal.

Hussain has currently been enlisted as the bookmakers’ favourite to take over the role, which Toksvig had held for three years since joining the show alongside Fielding in 2017, following its move from BBC One to Channel 4.

Toksvig stepped aside on Thursday 16th January, claiming she’d like to spend more time on her other projects such as the upcoming Channel 4 series The Write Offs, which looks at the issue of adult literacy.

Fielding took to Twitter today to claim that he would feel “like Tom without Jerry” after Toksvig’s departure, adding that he would miss the “wonderful times” the pair had shared.

With Toksvig set to appear for the final time during the upcoming Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer, there’s still a fair amount of time for producers to pick a replacement – and it will certainly be interesting to see who eventually lands the role.