Why is Noel Fielding Missing from ‘The Great British Baking Show’ Finale?

All was not well in The Great British Baking Show season finale. From the start, a very important ingredient to the show’s success was missing. Long-time host Noel Fielding missed the first day of The Great British Baking Show finale for some reason. Sure, he came back for the final challenge and we could hear his voice throughout the episode’s narration, but for two whole challenges, Matt Lucas was set loose in the tent. He encouraged Syabira Yusoff to do a terrible American accent and did his best to get Abdul Rehman Sharif to gloat over the fact that he beat out early favorites Janusz Domagala and Maxy Maligisa for a spot in the finale.

Never before has Noel Fielding been more missed. I found myself pining for his wacky sweaters and newfound maturity in the The Great British Baking Show tent.

But does this mean Noel is in trouble of getting booted from The Great British Baking Show? Why was Noel gone for two challenges but back for the final one? And was Noel truly sick? Here’s everything we know about why Noel Fielding was missing from part of The Great British Baking Show finale on Netflix…

Where Was Noel Fielding in the First Half of The Great British Baking Show 2022 Finale?

According to co-host Matt Lucas, Noel Fielding missed the first half of The Great British Baking Show finale this year because he was sick. We don’t know what sort of illness felled The Mighty Boosh star, but he was well enough to appear on Day 2. It also seems that he was asked to record the narration for the episode in the weeks after it was shot. That’s why you’ll hear his voice explaining the Signature Challenge, but not see his face bouncing around the Bake Off tent.

This isn’t the first time that someone’s been out sick this season of The Great British Baking Show. Way back in Week 3, aka “Bread Week,” both early fan favorite Rebs Lightbody and eventual finalist Abdul Rehman Sharif were out sick. While we don’t know what ailment kept Rebs and Abdul from the tent, Rebs’s insistence that she wanted to bake “sick” and was forced home makes us wonder if it was a mild case of the ‘rona. It’s worth noting this is the first season of The Great British Baking Show since the COVID-19 pandemic hit that has not been filmed in a bubble.

Either way, a somewhat muted Noel Fielding was able to make it back to the tent for the last Showstopper Challenge of the season. And thank goodness for it. (Sorry, but Noel has been the production team’s obvious MVP this season of The Great British Baking Show.)