Former Bake Off host Sue Perkins and Traitors star Anthony Mathurin have joined forces to spearhead a new BBC show.

The duo will host BBC Two and iPlayer series Chess Masters, where twelve contestants will compete in chess matches.

The Factual Entertainment competition format will feature eight episodes and a series of elimination rounds where one person will be crowned the winner.

In a press release to the BBC, Sue said: ‘I’m so excited to be hosting the Chess Masters, where twelve talented amateurs from across the UK face off against each other in the world’s oldest game.

‘It’s all about psychology, strategy, smart thinking and nerves of steel. So chess is not my thing (which usually involves the opposite).’

Former Bake Off host Sue Perkins (pictured this month) and Traitors star Anthony Mathurin have joined forces for a new BBC show

The duo will host BBC Two and iPlayer series Chess Masters; In this series, twelve contestants will compete in chess matches (Anthony pictured in The Traitors)

He added: ‘I’m there to help us understand what’s going on in the players’ minds and understand what’s happening on the board. We have been waiting for more than 30 years to see chess on television again. Chess Masters it will be worth the wait.’

Sue and her co-host Mel Giedroyc hosted Bake Off on the BBC from 2010 to 2016, leaving when it moved to Channel 4.

To talk Radio HoursSue explained that the pair felt they couldn’t continue with the show after the show.

He said: ‘It was painful and we took our advice on the whys and wherefores and I think there’s dignity in that. It’s a show about cakes and you tell yourself to stop being stupid when you get caught up in intense emotions.

“We hope for the best and in return we wanted them to understand that it will be difficult for us to continue under these conditions.” There is no hostility there. I just think: “If you’re going to let us learn this way (from TV), then we’re not really a team, are we?”

Mel added that she felt the duo made the right decision by leaving and that she didn’t mind if the show continued without them.

He said: ‘It was difficult but it was the right time. I think it’s best to leave the party before sandwiches appear in the corners. ‘I have no problem with the show still going on.’

Mel and Sue also admitted they almost quit the show on the first day of the first series and had ‘pretty frank’ discussions with producers about the direction of the series.

‘I’m thrilled to be hosting the Chess Masters, which sees twelve talented amateurs from across the UK pitted against each other,’ Sue said in a press release.

Meanwhile, Anthony starred in this year’s TV series The Traitors.

The contestant, from Birmingham, was expelled after Evie, Charlotte, Zac, Mollie, Miles, Jasmine and Ross were named and then eliminated from the competition.

Viewers at the time were quick to react to Anthony’s exile, with many praising him for staying put.