Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders reportedly turned down £2.5million to become the new hosts of The Great British Bake Off.
“They were the top of the list to replace Mel and Sue,” a source told The Mail on Sunday. “They absolutely would have brought in the viewers but it wasn’t to be.
Read more: Loose Women gets a shake-up after a week off
“An offer was put in – a pretty high offer at that – but it wasn’t enough. The impression was that actually, no amount would have been enough.”
What?! We think £2.5million is a pretty decent amount.
The comedy duo weren’t the only famous faces to turn down the presenting roles. Many think that the job is “toxic” since The Great British Bake Off was bought by Channel 4, and Mel and Sue announced they were quitting.
Jamie Oliver, Davina McCall, Miranda Hart and Geri Horner have all been linked to the show. Comedian Josh Widdecombe is said to have pulled out of the job at the last minute, when he was replaced by Noel Fielding.
The Mighty Boosh star Noel will present the show alongside comedian Sandi Toksvig. Prue Leith will replace Mary Berry to be judge alongside Paul Hollywood.
“Noel is going to turn off a lot of the family viewing that made Bake Off such a favourite,” a source told The Sun.
“But this is the risk of selling off a national treasure to the highest bidder.”
Added the source: “Noel and Sandi are an odd combination and they certainly weren’t top of the list — or even tenth on the list. There was talk that replacing Mel and Sue was a toxic proposition.”
The new-look Bake Off will go head to head with a BBC show The Big Family Cooking Showdown, presented by former Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain and Zoe Ball.
Many have expressed their views that Noel Fielding is an unusual choice of host. “Noel Fielding in a tent with Paul Hollywood talking about bread,” wrote one Twitter user. “The stuff that LSD trips are made of.”
Others remarked how the news had come during a week of unusual job appointments.
“CHANNEL 4: “Our new #GBBO hosts are a huge surprise… Noel Fielding & Sandi Toksvig!!!”
Read more: Take That reveal REAL reason Jason Orange left the band
EVENING STANDARD: “Hold my beer…” #Osborne,” wrote writer Greg Jenner.