Noel, Sandi, and Matt: The New Presenters

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Discuss the new GBBO hosts (S8-??) Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding here!

[2727]

Love them both! Genuine, pleasant, low key additions to the show. (Not that I pay them all that much attention; the bakers are forever the stars for me.)

[Occasional Hope]

Sandi was fine, but Noel has been the revelation.  I thought he would be a bit too keen on himself, but he's been lovely.

[Ceindreadh]

10 minutes ago, Occasional Hope said:

Sandi was fine, but Noel has been the revelation.  I thought he would be a bit too keen on himself, but he's been lovely.

I've liked them both in other things before this, but I never would have thought of pairing them up.  And I have to say it has worked really well, IMO.  On paper, they're complete opposites, but they complement each other so well. 

Bravo to whoever suggested them in the first place.

[Spunkygal]

You guys have me intrigued about them. We won't get to watch this anytime soon, and I don't know Sandi but my only exposure to Noel has been on The IT Crowd, which I stumbled upon and love. I look forward to seeing him in this setting! 

[magdalene]

Took to them both during their first episode. Warm. Charming.  Funny and lovely interactions with the bakers.

[aradia22]

I adore Noel. I'd been watching Never Mind the Buzzcocks regularly the first time he was a guest. I haven't seen a lot of his stand up. It's not floating around the internet as much as other UK comedians. I get the impression that he's better with random interjections though. I've mostly seen him on pub quiz shows or things like Travel Man with Richard Ayoade. I haven't put in the effort to track down The Mighty Boosh or his other series. I get the impression it's not my thing... because I don't do drugs. Seriously though, I like absurd and random but it seems to be a little more abstract and out there for me. 

Still, I gave it some thought and I figured out why he works so well on the show in my opinion. First of all, the GBBO brand is just strong and he's not going too outside the box. It's not like they let him put on ridiculous outfits and say whatever he wants. But there are two reasons that I should have predicted this would work. One is that I think Noel has always worked best in contrast to some kind of authority or structure. He's the playful anarchic spirit in a strict quiz setting playing off an authority figure like Simon Amstell or Jimmy Carr. In a way, GBBO is just another straight man for him. The second thing is that he does take the mick out of people and he's a little rock and roll but most of his humor doesn't come from a particularly mean or vulgar place. His public persona is a bit odd (like Mick Jagger as a goth vampire crow) but ultimately sweet and childish. He's always come across and kind and good-natured so he makes perfect sense as a supportive bake off host who can relieve the bakers' tension with a silly joke. He almost works better than Sue and Mel who sometimes seemed like they were pestering the bakers a bit more than trying to put them at ease. 

I'm glad the new team will be back for the next series. 

[mjc570]

Let me start off by saying that I am (was?) a huge Sue/Mel fan - I loved their warmth and humor.  Sandi seems fine, but I'm not sure about Noel.  I've never heard of him before, and he seems like a very nice person, but I just don't see what he brings to the show.  I've only seen the first 2 episodes so far, and maybe it's the editing, but he just doesn't seem to have much interaction either with Sandi or with the contestants.  Of course, he could be a million times worse, so I will keep an open mind. 

[magdalene]

I like Noel. He is funny and his shirts make me chuckle.  I also really like his voice which I find pleasant and soothing. So I took to him right away. 

[lovinbob]

I was set to dislike Noel because his style is not my jam. I feel like I am looking at twentysomething Snape. However, his manner has won me over. He’s funny but not a tryhard, sweet and kind, and knows how to break the tension. 

[biakbiak]

22 minutes ago, lovinbob said:

feel like I am looking at twentysomething Snape

That’s nice of you given than he is 45! I found him boring and didn’t think he brought anything to the show. 

[latetotheparty]

I finally broke down and watched the 2017 season. The bakers, as ever, are lovely but these two fall fall for me. Prue too. Since I’ve only put up with a Paul because of Mary, Mel and Sue it’s become a difficult watch for me. I’m sad. 

[GaT]

On 12/9/2018 at 9:36 AM, latetotheparty said:

I finally broke down and watched the 2017 season. The bakers, as ever, are lovely but these two fall fall for me. Prue too. Since I’ve only put up with a Paul because of Mary, Mel and Sue it’s become a difficult watch for me. I’m sad. 

I know what you mean. I've actually begun to like Noel, but Sandi & Prue still do nothing for me.

[KnotsLanding]

I just watched my first season, I think it was series 3 when John won. Before I started what Netflix has as season one I watched a Christmas special with the new crew and I wasn’t impressed. The hosts seemed a random pair and didn’t add much. Prue also was full, but Mary was always going to be a hard act to follow. Watching the US version though, I notice it’s fine as long as Paul is around and the bakers are pleasant. I don’t like Paul’s judge on the US version either, but the overall vibe is enough to make it work. 

[Yokosmom]

U.S. viewer here.  Never heard of Sandi or Noel before this season dropped on Netflix.  I really enjoy Noel, and I look forward to his outfits every episode.  He's pretty good at joking around with the bakers.  I also enjoy their extremely silly skits. Took a lot longer to warm up to Sandi, but I like her now.  I still miss Mary Berry, as the new judge seems a bit (cold? brusque? not quite either of those things).  And who becomes a judge on a baking show if they aren't fond of sugar?  I think that she has relaxed considerably since the earlier episodes, though.

[magpye29]

I like Noel.  He reminds me of Seth Aaron from Project Runway.

[Pickles]

I started out liking them both, but now I feel like they have run their course. Too many dopey antics.

[Spunkygal]

Aw, I love Noel and Sandy. I welcome their silliness as opposed to the ridiculous drivel of FN hosts/judges. I can watch them and know that I will spend a charming and benign 50 minutes watching my favorite show with two hosts who are having fun. Yes, I love Mel and Sue, too, but Noel and Sandy are also cute and enjoyable to me. 

Edited November 1, 2019 by Spunkygal

[Danny Franks]

I don't think the opening skits are funny, and I'm sure the bits that they do in the tent are mandated by the producers, but on the whole I really like Noel and Sandi.

As I've said many times, Noel is great at making little jokes that get stressed bakers to laugh and relax, and he does it without distracting them. Look at how he helped Steph when she was crying over her technical.

And Sandi is just a very calm presence, who hasn't been shown enough this season. She's got a sort of old fashioned, warm sternness that's reassuring.

[AZChristian]

On 10/31/2019 at 11:04 PM, Danny Franks said:

And Sandi is just a very calm presence, who hasn't been shown enough this season. She's got a sort of old fashioned, warm sternness that's reassuring.

We've been re-watching "Call the Midwife" . . . and what a surprise while we were watching the Christmas 2013 episode (the one where Timothy comes down with polio).  The nurse who took care of him in the hospital was our own Sandi! 

And she DEFINITELY portrayed someone with "a sort of old fashioned, warm sternness that's reassuring."

[Ceindreadh]

35 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

We've been re-watching "Call the Midwife" . . . and what a surprise while we were watching the Christmas 2013 episode (the one where Timothy comes down with polio).  The nurse who took care of him in the hospital was our own Sandi! 

And she DEFINITELY portrayed someone with "a sort of old fashioned, warm sternness that's reassuring."

Sandi is posting regular YouTube videos that are mainly just her chatting about random things. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL4mHvlV6UOggYiXM3lcAHw
It feels like having coffee and a chat with a good friend. 

[Athena]

I have renamed this thread to include Matt's name. Feel free to discuss all the hosts and their work.

[AZChristian]

Matt in my favorite musical.  The video is from a concert of the musical, but shows what a fun actor/singer he is.

[Pepper Mostly]

I adore Matt without reservation and I found him utterly hilarious in the episode. He's so off the wall, yet relatable. I'm looking forward to seeing in in action.

3 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Matt in my favorite musical.  The video is from a concert of the musical, but shows what a fun actor/singer he is.

The Les Mis O2 concert is sacred at my house. We've watched it countless times and in years past would burst into song frequently, and everyone here would end up joining in. Matt was wonderful as Thenardier, I can't see anyone else in the role now.

[cherrypj]

I like Matt. He’s this calm, steady force, which I think has been missing since Mel left. Have we come full circle: Matt is Mel, Noel is Sue?

(My assessment might be colored by not having seen Mel or Sue for quite some time, and by watching without the sound.)

[AZChristian]

11 hours ago, cherrypj said:

I like Matt. He’s this calm, steady force, which I think has been missing since Mel left. Have we come full circle: Matt is Mel, Noel is Sue?

(My assessment might be colored by not having seen Mel or Sue for quite some time, and by watching without the sound.)

I think the big difference is that Matt and Noel aren't focused on doing a whole series of tiresome skits about things like Sandy's lack of height.  I loved Matt's self-deprecating style of getting the bakers to relax a bit, or helping them laugh at things to lessen their stress.  He really seems to know how to "read a room" and react appropriately.

[AZChristian]

Thought some might find this article about Matt interesting.

[TimothyQ]

I really like Matt. I think he brings a nice vibe to the show and works off Noel well. He can cut the 7-year-old palate schtick, though. That gets annoying and a little goes a long way. 

[Normades]

I absolutely love Noel and have been a Mighty Boosh fan for years and I like Matt in Little Britain.  I think they're a good team.  One thing with Matt, tho.  Sometimes when he speaks or narrates, he sounds just like the FatFighters character he did.  It always throws me off. 🤣

Edited October 22, 2020 by Normades
wrong word

[CatLover74]

16 hours ago, Normades said:

I absolutely love Noel and have been a Mighty Boosh fan for years and I like Matt in Little Britain.  I think they're a good team.  One thing with Matt, tho.  Sometimes when he speaks or narrates, he sounds just like the FatFighters character he did.  It always throws me off. 🤣

To me, I think Matt sounds a bit like David Attenborough when he's doing his voiceover bits.

[Kohola3]

Guess I am an outlier but I hate Matt, I find his "humor" to be nothing funny.  Even Paul and Prue sometimes look like they have no idea what he is trying to say.  Lots of the schtick just falls flat and he is in the face of the bakers to the point where it looks like they are ready to punch him.  Not fond of Noel either but I think Matt is a very poor fit.

[Mabinogia]

I liked Matt for about two episodes but I'm starting to find him very unfunny. He tries, but I think that's what's wrong. He feels like he's always trying just a little too hard. I don't hate him yet but the new host smell has worn off already. 

[iwantcookies]

I thought Noel was a woman. Matt is not funny I don’t care for him. First time watching the show.

[Kohola3]

9 hours ago, iwantcookies said:

I thought Noel was a woman. Matt is not funny I don’t care for him.

Noel would make quite a homely woman but I can see why you would think that.

Matt and Noel - ugh.  The jokes are getting worse by the week and they are more intrusive with each assault on the bakers.  I wish one of the contestants would tell them to "quit bothering me" but I suppose they are told to tolerate it.  Frankly it drives me nuts.  I am not watching for their stupid antics.

Granted, I am from the US so am not familiar with either Noel or Matt in other roles. Perhaps they are beloved for those but to me they appear to be buffoon.s

[janie jones]

4 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Matt and Noel - ugh.  The jokes are getting worse by the week and they are more intrusive with each assault on the bakers.  I wish one of the contestants would tell them to "quit bothering me" but I suppose they are told to tolerate it.  Frankly it drives me nuts.  I am not watching for their stupid antics.

I can't remember her name but the veterinarian last season (I think it was) told Noel to leave her alone once. I'm pretty sure it was her.

[AZChristian]

I do think Noel has been quite a distraction this year . . . and that's not really fair to the contestants.

But - what seems to be a minority opinion - I adore Matt.  He seems to "read" the bakers.  If they don't want to banter, he pleasantly disappears.  I think he's doing a great job for a rookie who is still learning the ropes.

[SuprSuprElevated]

I find both of these hosts to be nice enough people.  The humor is not always so funny, but being an American, that is often the case with Brit humor.  I mean no offense, just a different sensibility.  I'm sure the same is true the other way 'round.

I don't see why two hosts are needed in the first place, but it's not my show to decide, lol.

 

[AZChristian]

26 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

I don't see why two hosts are needed in the first place, but it's not my show to decide, lol.

Mel and Sue were the PERFECT pair for hosting a show like this.  And they saw part of their job as protectors of the bakers, not just funny commenters.  I think they've tried to keep the "pairs" theme of hosts on every iteration of this show I've seen, but I agree with you.  If you can't have Mel and Sue (or a team as cohesive), one host ought to do.  

[blueray]

I like Noel when he is doing something like cheering some one up or getting someone to come out of their shell more. He seems just really easy to talk too. Matt I'm finding mildly annoying but it's more in the "comedy" parts then when he is just talking to a constant. I definelty like Noel a lot better. And perhaps because I'm American some of the humor I simply don't get (like I don't know what they are talking about lol). 

Edited November 9, 2020 by blueray

[chaifan]

I think part of the problem is that Noel and Matt don't work - style wise - with everyone.  For example, Noel's banter with Lottie was great.  But I think he gets that with maybe 20% of the bakers.  Matt was great with... oh, can't remember her name, the one that accidentally bumped Dave.  But again, not great with others.  Whereas Sue & Mel really seemed to gel with pretty much everyone. 

I liked both Noel and Matt better in the first few episodes, but the last few they have fallen sort of flat with me.  Eh, doesn't really matter in the long run.  It's not like I'm not going to stop watching the show because of the hosts. 

 

[Mabinogia]

10 minutes ago, chaifan said:

I think part of the problem is that Noel and Matt don't work - style wise - with everyone.  For example, Noel's banter with Lottie was great.  But I think he gets that with maybe 20% of the bakers.  Matt was great with... oh, can't remember her name, the one that accidentally bumped Dave.  But again, not great with others.  Whereas Sue & Mel really seemed to gel with pretty much everyone.

That's a good point. I think Noel and Matt both work better when they get someone who shares their rather specific sense of humor. Noel was great with Lottie, and was epic with Helena last season (was that last season? I can't remember any more). Matt I think is a bit more miss than hit, but then his humor is that way for me in general. 

Mel and Sue did seem to have an ability to adapt more to the baker than the other way around. If the baker were more sensitive they would lay off the jokes and be more comforting. 

I noticed in the past two eps, some of Noel and Matt's interactions with the bakers borders on mean spirited. While Noel's Baby Assassin bit with Peter was cute, he took it too far when he started targeting someone like Lottie who was struggling. It's not the first time I noticed the hosts focusing more on this being a competition with remarks about beating the others. I can't help but wonder if the show is pushing them to try to get the bakers more competitive. If so, that is a shame because the thing I have always loved about GBBO is that very few of them seemed to really care that much about beating the others. Sure, they all wanted to win, who doesn't, but they weren't competitive about it. Noel and Matt seem to be trying to generate a lot more "smack talk". 

[ABay]

12 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I noticed in the past two eps, some of Noel and Matt's interactions with the bakers borders on mean spirited. While Noel's Baby Assassin bit with Peter was cute, he took it too far when he started targeting someone like Lottie who was struggling.

That was really jarring. I enjoyed Noel in Mighty Boosh and was happy when he was announced as host, but it's not working. The show needs hosts who are better at reading the room and the individual bakers and can adapt their humor to match it.

[GaT]

On 11/9/2020 at 5:26 AM, Kohola3 said:

Matt and Noel - ugh.  The jokes are getting worse by the week and they are more intrusive with each assault on the bakers.  I wish one of the contestants would tell them to "quit bothering me" but I suppose they are told to tolerate it.  Frankly it drives me nuts.  I am not watching for their stupid antics.

Matt is just not doing it for me, & I'm starting to not like Noel. I never really liked Sandi, but Noel grew on me because I saw some Mel & Sue qualities. I don't know if it's the combination with Matt or producer shenanigans, but he's just irritating now.

On 11/9/2020 at 11:37 AM, AZChristian said:

Mel and Sue were the PERFECT pair for hosting a show like this.  And they saw part of their job as protectors of the bakers, not just funny commenters.  I think they've tried to keep the "pairs" theme of hosts on every iteration of this show I've seen, but I agree with you.  If you can't have Mel and Sue (or a team as cohesive), one host ought to do.  

I agree. They lost the whole"nice" feeling about the hosts, & you're right about them being protectors. Now the contestants seem to be props for Noel & Matt's jokes.

 

[Mabinogia]

1 hour ago, GaT said:

Now the contestants seem to be props for Noel & Matt's jokes.

I think that's the difference. Mel and Sue were supporting acts to the bakers who were the stars. It feels the reverse with Noel and Matt. I just can't figure out if it's because of them or if it is because the show is on a new network that targets a different audience and they think the Noel and Matt Comedy Hour is what that audience wants. 

[Kromm]

On 11/10/2020 at 6:20 PM, Mabinogia said:

I think that's the difference. Mel and Sue were supporting acts to the bakers who were the stars. It feels the reverse with Noel and Matt. I just can't figure out if it's because of them or if it is because the show is on a new network that targets a different audience and they think the Noel and Matt Comedy Hour is what that audience wants. 

I think Sandi got that. But she's gone.  Matt is a very intrusive figure.  He's funny on other shows which require a rubber-faced over the top distraction. But that's not this show.  And Noel leans in that direction too.  I actually think Noel is brilliant on some of the other shows I've seen him on too.  Again, I'm just not sure he's the best fit with a show meant to highlight contestants. 

[Aulty]

You know what I miss most since Mel and Sue left? Mel and Sue used to taste and nibble on everything. No bowl was safe. Dan Levy did the same on the Canadian version, taking shots with contestants out of measuring cups and bowls whenever they used booze. Even Claire and Mel from Australian Bake off like a sneaky nibble. Not only was that the most relatable thing about the show, their reaction gave us an additional and more layman's opinion about the bakes.

Never trust a skinny cook,  or a presenter that can keep their fingers off an unattended cream bowl.

Edited November 13, 2020 by Aulty

[BradyB66]

Jeff Foxworthy has his own fork in his pocket in the American version, so yeah, I agree.  

I was really put off by their "humor" this week.  Noel saying that Mr. Spoon wanted to see Peter naked was so off-putting to me, then he followed it up with the comment about how his jelly creation would be of a naked Paul...ugh.  He was never that skeevy with Sandi.

[Mabinogia]

11 hours ago, BradyB66 said:

He was never that skeevy with Sandi.

I think Matt and Noel bring out the worst in each other. I do like Noel and I have no real opinion of Matt either way, but together I'm almost to the point where I can't stand them. 

 

[Kohola3]

28 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

think Matt and Noel bring out the worst in each other. I do like Noel and I have no real opinion of Matt either way, but together I'm almost to the point where I can't stand them. 

In the latest episode they were worse than ever.  They were hanging around Laura's workstation making incredibly stupid jokes to the point that she had to actually walk around them to keep working. I would have give them both a swift boot in the rears.  So intrusive and their brand of humor escapes me.

[Spunkygal]

And when talking about the surfing movie, did Noel say something about “Swayze, if you’re watching, call me.” Surely he knows Swayze is no longer with us?! Maybe it was yet another lame attempt at being funny? The combination of Matt and Noel are ruining this show for me.

I wonder what Brits are saying about the Matt/Noel duo? I’m not sure who is British on this forum.

Edited November 14, 2020 by Spunkygal