The beloved cast of Peep Show are officially stepping back into the spotlight this Christmas as they take over the Great British Bake Off tent for a one-off festive special. David Mitchell, Olivia Colman, Isy Suttie, Matt King and Sophie Winkleman will don their Christmas jumpers for The Great Peep Show Christmas Bake Off — but viewers immediately noticed one huge missing piece.
Robert Webb, who played the iconic Jeremy “Jez” Usbourne, is nowhere to be seen in the Christmas line-up. His absence quickly set tongues wagging, though insiders insist there’s no bad blood between him and the cast.
PA confirmed that the group will roll up their sleeves and get whisking, kneading and decorating under the watchful eyes of judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, while hosts Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond keep the festive chaos flowing.
Peep Show, which ran from 2003 to 2015, followed the chaotic lives of flatmates Mark Corrigan and Jez Usbourne. And although Webb won’t be in the Bake Off tent, he and Mitchell remain as close as ever — the duo recently launched their new sketch series Mitchell And Webb Are Not Helping.
Mitchell reflected on the industry shift that kept sketch comedy off screens for years, admitting the genre “absolutely collapsed” and that there was a time “it went, as far as I can tell, to zero, so we gave up hoping”. Their surprise comeback was greenlit by Channel 4 and draws inspiration from real-world headlines — including a cheeky dig at Prince Andrew’s explosive 2019 Newsnight interview.
Webb explained that mocking the heightened seriousness of journalists was irresistible, saying they enjoy “laughing at things close to us,” adding that “self-importance in journalism is always funny.” He joked about skewering both liberal and conservative attitudes, noting, “We like to have more fun at the expense of liberals because we are liberals.”
As for the bold parody of Emily Maitlis’ grilling of Prince Andrew, Webb quipped: “Hopefully Emily won’t be hopping mad. I don’t think she will be.”
