Peep Show cast reunite for the first time since final episode for Bake Off Christmas special – but huge star is missing

THE cast of hit sitcom Peep Show are reuniting for a Great British Bake Off Christmas special.

David Mitchell, Olivia Colman, Isy Suttie, Matt King and Sophie Winkleman will take over the famous tent for the Great Peep Show Christmas Bake Off – but one major star is missing.

The Peep Show cast are reuniting this ChristmasCredit: Channel4

They’ll be joined by familiar Bake Off facesCredit: PA There’s no sign of Robert Webb, who played Jeremy ‘Jez’ Usbourne in the line-up.

PA reports the group will wear Christmas jumpers as they whisk, knead and decorate their cakes and bakes.

Judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood will be on hand to taste test their efforts, while hosts Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond will bring the festive cheer.

Peep Show ran from 2003 to 2015 on Channel 4 and followed the lives of flatmates Mark Corrigan (Mitchell) and Jeremy “Jez” Usbourne (Webb).

Webb might be absent from Bake Off, but he and Mitchell remain close and recently launched a brand new show, Mitchell And Webb Are Not Helping.

Prior to that, they starred in That Mitchell And Webb Look, which ran from 2006 to 2010 and featured a deft blend of silly skits and satirical send-ups.

The pair were delighted, and surprised, to get the project commissioned following some lean years where sketch shows fell by the wayside.

Instead, telly bosses lapped up edgy comedy-dramas such as Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag.

Mitchell recently told us: “The whole genre of sketch comedy seemed to absolutely collapse.

“There have been times in the past where not many sketch shows have been made, but I think this is the first time in television history where it’s gone, as far as I can tell, to zero, so we gave up hoping.”

Fortunately, Channel 4 decided to take the punt on their comeback series which draws inspiration from real world issues from Prince Andrew’s car crash BBC interview to climate change.

Episode one pokes fun at the 2019 Newsnight interview that saw Prince Andrew grilled by journalist Emily Maitlis over his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The pair take a swing at the fact both Netflix and Amazon Prime made separate dramas based on the interview, with Billie Piper and Gillian Anderson starring in the Netflix version and Michael Sheen in the Prime drama.

Webb explained why they wanted to take a pop at the shows, saying: “Self-importance in journalism is always funny.

“We find it funny to laugh at things that are close to us, and that’s probably why we like to have more fun at the expense of liberals than we do conservatives, because we are liberals and we find the nonsense within our own tribe more interesting.

“It can just become so intensely pompous, and that amuses me.

“Hopefully Emily won’t be hopping mad.

“I don’t think she will be.”

Robert Webb won’t appear in the festive specialCredit: Channel 4