The thought of Sara Pascoe not having us in stitches during The Great British Sewing Bee's Christmas special seems very bah humbug indeed.
Fans of the competition show were heartbroken when comedian Joe Lycett stepped down in season seven, yet came to love his replacement, Pascoe, for her own unique style of presenting.
However, while our favourite sewing show is about to return to give us our yearly dose of festive, frenzied sewing madness, Pascoe will be noticeably absent and we need to know why – and, perhaps more importantly, what this means for her season 10 future.
Why isn't Sara Pascoe in The Great British Sewing Bee 2023 Christmas special?
Fans needn't get their yarns in knots, Sara Pascoe has not left the show entirely... we hope. She is merely on maternity leave.
Pascoe and her husband Steen Raskopoulos recently welcomed their second son, who they named Albie.
The presenter gushed about the latest addition to their family and her struggles with fertility on Instagram, posting:
What to Read Next
"I've been in a hormone hole for three weeks so excuse my lateness – allow me to introduce baby Albie.
"As a 42-year-old infertile woman I can't believe my luck to have had two children (IVF). I also can't believe how much washing there is. I'll see you at gigs later in the year when I've stopped crying every three minutes, lots of love."
Sara Pascoe's replacement on The Great British Sewing Bee
Stepping in for Pascoe during the Christmas special and over the course of season 10 will be Ghosts star Kiell Smith-Bynoe.
The announcement came the way all announcements do these days, via social media on both the show's official Instagram and Twitter/X accounts. The post read:
"We're bursting at the seams that Kiell Smith-Bynoe has stepped in to host this year's Christmas Special and Series 10," the post read, before adding that the show was "sending lots of love to Sara and her new baby!"
Smith-Bynoe takes on this project following the release of Ghosts' final season, in which he played Mike, husband to Charlotte Ritchie's Alison.
Will Sara Pascoe return to The Great British Sewing Bee?
It has already been confirmed that Pascoe will not be back for season 10 of The Great British Sewing Bee in 2024, however, that does not mean she's gone for good.
BBC One is yet to confirm what Pascoe's future with the show will be and whether or not she'll decide to come back.
For now, things are in the hands of her trusty replacement.
The Great British Sewing Bee Christmas special airs on BBC One on Thursday 21st December at 9pm. Season 10 will arrive in 2024.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
