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The Great British Sewing Bee: judges and presenters who left and where they are now

Claudia Winkleman, Joe Lycett and Mary Martin have all waved goodbye to the BBC reality show 


Split image of Claudia Winkleman, Joe Lycett and Sarah Pascoe
Megan Bull
TV Writer
June 25, 2024
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Claudia Winkleman, Joe Lycett and May Martin have all left the sewing circle. After signing onto The Great British Sewing Bee, the stars have concluded their time on the BBC series, moving on to other shows and projects. Wondering what they're up to now? We've got the lowdown…

Claudia Winkleman attends the 2023 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at The Royal Festival Hall on May 14, 2023 in London, England.

Claudia Winkleman

Claudia Winkleman presented The Great British Sewing Bee from 2013 to 2016. She refrained from sharing the reasons for her departure, but wished the team luck, before handing the reins to Joe Lycett. 

Following her exit, Claudia has continued to host an array of shows, including Britain's Best Home Cook, Strictly Come Dancing, The Traitors and The Piano

joe lycett smiling

Joe Lycett

Joe Lycett entered the sewing circle in 2019, but by 2021 he'd left the series. Taking to Instagram, the comedian wrote: "A bit of news: I loved my journey on @sewingbee, but I've decided it is time for me to go.

"My friend the great @sarapascoe will be the new host and I know she will be fantastic. Big love to all the brilliant team, and go Sara!"

In the years that have followed, Joe has gone on to present his BAFTA award-winning comedy variety show, Late Night Lycett. He also fronted the Channel 4 documentary, Joe Lycett vs Sewage, and is gearing up to lead Joe Lycett's United States of Birmingham

Sara Pascoe in The Great British Sewing Bee© BBC

Sara Pascoe

Sara Pascoe began presenting The Great British Sewing Bee in 2021 but after the birth of her second child in 2023, she announced that Kiell Smith-Bynoe was taking over. 

Sarah has continued with her stand-up performances and she's also published a book, titled Weirdos, in September last year. 

May Martin in The Great British Sewing Bee© BBC

May Martin

May Martin was one of the original judges on the show before leaving in 2015. Releasing a statement at the time, she said: "I am extremely proud to have been part of three series of The Great British Sewing Bee, such a wonderful show which at its height had 3.5 million people watching. I am sad that I will not be a part of series four but it was not to be."

The former judge has kept an extremely low profile following her departure. 

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