© Bang Showbiz Joanna Lumley

Joanna Lumley is reportedly among the front-runners to become the host of 'The Great British Bake Off'. The 73-year-old actress is facing competition from comedian Jo Brand, Steph McGovern and previous winner Nadiya Hussain, as the show's bosses eye a replacement for Sandi Toksvig. A source told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "Joanna and Paul [Hollywood] are good pals and would have an excellent on-screen chemistry.

"Channel 4 are very much on a diversity drive at the moment so whilst Joanna might not seem like a natural choice, she would be a brilliant successor to Sandi - and very much a like-for-like replacement, which is important to viewers. "But Jo Brand has polled very well internally - but the feeling is she won't accept such a mainstream gig.

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"Steph McGovern is the new golden child of the channel, and with her own show about to start, has also been thrown into the mix. Meanwhile, Nadiya has gained considerable TV experience over the past couple of years, and would also be a popular choice."

In January, Sandi announced she'd quit 'The Great British Bake Off' after three years on the show. The presenter said in a statement: "When stepping down from a job it is quite common for people to say they are doing so in order to spend more time with their family. "Unusually I am departing from 'The Great British Bake Off' so I can spend more time with my other work. "As my waistline will testify, 'Bake Off' is an all-consuming show."