From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englisha hard/tough etc act to followa hard/tough etc act to followsomeone who does such an excellent job that it would be difficult for someone doing the same job after them to be as good He has been a very successful captain and will be a hard act to follow. → act
Examples from the Corpus
a hard/tough etc act to follow• Clearly Amelia was a hard act to follow.• Colm Toibin's piece will be a hard act to follow but I suspect you are up to it.• I know that she will be a tough act to follow.• It was a hard act to follow, but the poor did what they could to provide respectable funerals for their dead.• John's is, of course, a hard act to follow.• The new model has a tough act to follow.• You've certainly set us a hard act to follow! 