Comic tipped as next host of BBC craft competition

Joe Lycett is being lined up as the new presenter of The Great British Sewing Bee.

The programme is set to return to BBC Two for a fifth series later this year – but without previous host Claudia Winkelman.

Although the show has not yet formally been recommissioned, trade magazine Broadcast report that Lycett is to be her replacement.

The news comes as the comic – familiar to TV audiences from appearances on the likes of 8 Out Of 10 Cats Do Countdown – works on a pilot of a comedy consumer show Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back, for Channel 4.

The future of Sewing Bee had been in doubt as it is made by Love Productions, which fell out with the BBC when it took its monster hit The Great British Bake Off to Channel 4.

But relations between the production company and the broadcaster are said to have thawed to bring back the sewing show, which has been off air for almost two years. The last series averaged a very healthy audience of 3.2million.

Winkelman, meanwhile, is working on the new BBC One series Britain’s Best Cook with Mary Berry as well as hosting Strictly Come Dancing, and her  Radio 2 programme.

Published: 17 Apr 2018