Countryfile's Matt Baker has revealed why he quit The One Show after nine years. The presenter announced his departure from the BBC programme in 2019, confirming that he would be making his exit the following spring.
His last show aired in April 2020 but due to Covid-19 regulations at the time, Matt joined co-star Alex Jones via video link as he self-isolated at home and said goodbye to viewers from his own sofa. Four years on and Matt has reflected on his decision to leave the high-profile role.
Matt discussed his reason for leaving during an interview on Gabby Logan's podcast, The Midpoint. He candidly shared: "It was that part of me saying, 'Look, was this ever a goal?', and 'what are you actually working towards?'"
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He continued: "You think to yourself, 'I'm doing this chat show at seven o'clock on BBC One, does the goal then become, I'm just going to do this forever? What is the point of continuing with something that you've done for nine years?'
"And then I thought, I'm just going to [leave]. I'm just going to go because if I don't, I will probably be here forever. And, like I said before, I loved that element of production. I love the element of directing and I thought I really want to set up my own production company."
True to his word, Matt has since set up his own production company Big Circus Media, which is behind his latest "passion project" on Channel 4 called Our Dream Farm, you can read more on this here. He is also set to front another Channel 4 show called Baker's Britain, in which he will travel the country and meet incredible people along the way.
Matt's last day on The One Show was emotional, with his co-host Alex left in tears as he told her over video link: "I've loved every single second of sitting alongside you, I really have, I've watched your life change, you got married, two children, and it's quite amazing really that we've been there together for nine, nearly 10 years, now and that's rare in the world of television so thank you for all of your support."
Alex then told Matt he was holding it together "way better" than she was as she fought back tears and told him: "It just feels so odd, I know when you're going to speak just by the way you breathe because we've been together for that long and we've had such a laugh along the way and I thank you honestly from the bottom of my heart."
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