Matt Lucas

Matthew Richard Lucas(born 5 March 1974) is an English actor and comedian. He is best known for his work withDavid Walliamson theBBCsketch comedyseriesLittle Britain(2003–2006) andCome Fly with Me(2010–2011).
Lucas first came to prominence on the comedy panel showShooting Stars, in which he portrayed scorekeeper George Dawes from 1995 to 2009. From 2015 to 2017, he portrayed the role ofNardolein the BBC seriesDoctor Who. He has also appeared in films, includingAstro Boy(2009),Alice in Wonderland(2010),Bridesmaids,Gnomeo & Juliet(both 2011),Small Apartments(2012),Paddington(2014), andWonka(2023). Lucas presented the baking competition showThe Great British Bake Off,alongsideNoel Fieldingfrom 2020 to 2023.
Matthew Richard Lucas was born on 5 March 1974 in thePaddingtonarea of westLondon, the son of Diana (née Williams; born 1945) and chauffeuring business owner John Stanley Lucas (1944–1996).His family isJewish; some of his mother's family fledNazi Germanyjust before theSecond World War. He was raised in aReform Jewishhousehold although his parents came fromOrthodox Jewishfamilies.He has hadalopeciasince childhood,having lost all his hair after being struck by a car at the age of 6.When Lucas was 22, his father died of a heart attack.
Lucas was educated at Aylward Primary School andHaberdashers' Boys' SchoolinBorehamwood, Hertfordshire. He studied drama at theUniversity of Bristolbetween 1992 and 1995, although he did not complete his degree.He also spent time with theNational Youth Theatre, where he met his future collaboratorDavid Walliams.
Lucas's association withVic ReevesandBob Mortimerbegan in 1992. He appeared inThe Smell of Reeves and Mortimerin 1995, and went on to star with them inShooting Stars. He quickly rose to fame as George Dawes, a giant baby (often dressed in an adult-sizedromper suit) who would deliver a string of meaningless gags and insults before delivering the teams' scores, while sitting at and playing a drum kit. He also appeared on occasion asMarjorie Dawes, George's mother, who also appears inLittle Britain.
He again appeared with Reeves & Mortimer in the BBC TV seriesRandall & Hopkirk (Deceased)andCatterick, in a variety of roles. In 1999, Lucas paired withDavid Walliams, with whom he had already worked inMash and PeasandSir Bernard's Stately Homes, to createRock Profile, a comedy show spoofing famous musical personalities. It is notable for being one of their first comedic collaborations.
His music video appearances include theDamien Hirst-directed video forBlur's "Country House","Jesusland" byBen Foldsin 2005, "I'm with Stupid" byPet Shop Boys,and "Vindaloo" byFat Les.
Lucas ventured into stage musicals in 2002, when he took a role inBoy George's musicalTabooat The Venue in London. He played the performance artistLeigh Bowery.
Little Britainis Lucas' most commercially successful work. The show came about when trainee BBC radio producerAshley Blaker, tasked with coming up with ideas for a television or radio series, bumped into Lucas in London.The two were old friends from Haberdashers' and Lucas took Blaker to theGroucho Club, where he told Blaker of his ideas for a sketch show.Little Britainwas launched as a radio show onBBC Radio 4and it later became a TV series.
Among the many characters he plays in the series, which he writes and acts in along with David Walliams, are apparently "disabled"Andy Pipkin, teenage BristolchavVicky Pollard,homophobichomosexualDaffyd Thomas, and insensitive slimming club organiserMarjorie Dawes.
In January 2005, Lucas and Walliams were named themost powerful people in TV comedybyRadio Times.
In 2005, he took his first role in a television drama, a supporting part as aVenetianduke in the BBC historical serialCasanova, written byRussell T Davies. Also in 2005, he did voice work in the ITV children's programKing Arthur's DisastersalongsideRik Mayall. Since 2006, Lucas has been the voice of the radio and television characterDigit Al, devised as part of a public information campaign ondigital switchover. On 26 November 2006 he appeared on theBBC Radio 4programmeDesert Island Discs. He made a cameo appearance inShaun of the Deadas Tom, the cousin of Shaun's friend Yvonne.
In 2007, he released "I'm Gonna Be", originally byThe Proclaimers, withPeter Kayas acharity singleforComic Relief.He performed the single asLittle BritaincharacterAndy Pipkin, along with Kay playing asBrian Potter. He also starred asMr. ToadinThe Wind in the Willows, a 2006 television adaptation of theKenneth Grahamenovel.
He has appeared inKath & KimandNeighbours(the latter alongside David Walliams asLittle BritaincharactersLou and Andy), as well as a cameo role, playing 'Chris' or 'Jammy' at the wedding fayre, in theBBC ThreesitcomGavin & Stacey. Lucas has co-written (with Walliams) and performed in a new series ofLittle Britain USAforHBO. Lucas was the first celebrity to appear in 2008'sBig Brother Celebrity HijackonE4.
On 9 April 2009, the seriesKröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, featuring Lucas as a regular performer, premièred onComedy Central, the first major comedy series which Lucas had worked on sinceLittle Britain. In 2010, Lucas playedTweedledee and TweedleduminTim Burton'sAlice in Wonderland.
Starting in February 2010, Lucas began hosting his own radio show,And The Winner Is, in which he handed out a fictional series of awards based on nominations by his guests.
On 3 October 2010,Lucas playedThénardierin the 25th Anniversary Concerts ofLes Misérables, at theO2 Arenain London. A year later, from 23 June to 10 September 2011,he reprised the role at theQueen's Theatre, in the West End. He has since collaborated withAlfie Boe, who playedJean Valjean, to record a duet of "The Impossible Dream" on Boe's debut album.
Also in 2011, Lucas lent his voice to the CGI filmGnomeo and Julietand he played a small role as the roommate ofKristen Wiigin the comedyBridesmaids.
On Christmas Day 2010, the BBC premiered Lucas and David Walliams' latest series,Come Fly with Me. Unlike their previous work,Little Britain, this new show concentrated solely on the airline industry, with Walliams and Lucas each portraying several characters. In a BBC Three interview aired on February 9, 2011, it was revealed that the creators had considered including Carol Beer, the travel agent character from Little Britain. However, they chose not to include her to avoid the impression that Come Fly with Me was just a spinoff. Instead, they introduced an entirely fresh cast of characters.
On 28 March 2012, Lucas appeared as the "Generation X" guest on the Australian game showTalkin' 'Bout Your Generation. On 10 April 2012, Lucas's own BBC One showThe Matt Lucas Awardsbegan. It was a send-up of an awards program, with a panel of comedians giving their nominations for awards for a series of prizes concerning trivial topics.
Lucas also starred in the dark comedySmall Apartmentsreleased in February 2013 alongside James Caan, Billy Crystal, Johnny Knoxville, and Juno Temple with other cameo performances by notable actors. On 21 February 2013, Lucas appeared on the NBC seriesCommunityas Toby, an English friend ofAbed Nadir. In 2014, Lucas played Ray Thomas inThe Life of Rock with Brian Pern.
Lucas launched a new comedy series calledPompidouforBBC Two. The show began airing on 1 March 2015.
In May 2016, Lucas reprised his role as "Tweedledee/Tweedledum" in Tim Burton'sAlice Through the Looking Glass,sequel toAlice in Wonderland.Lucas joined the BBC seriesDoctor Whofor itstenth series, reprising the characterNardole, which he had previously played in the 2015 and 2016 Christmas specials, "The Husbands of River Song" and "The Return of Doctor Mysterio" respectively.
On 16 February 2017, Lucas was awarded an Honorary Degree "Doctor of Letters" by the University of Bristol, where he had studied for two years in the 1990s but had left before completing his degree course.On 3 October 2017, Lucas released his autobiography titledLittle Me, published by Canongate Books in hardback. The paperback edition was released on 7 June 2018.
From 2 July to 25 August 2018, Lucas played Bill Snibson in a revival ofMe and My GirlatChichester Festival Theatre.
In 2019, Lucas was the bank holiday cover hostfor the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.He also coveredPaul O'Grady's Sunday 5–7pm show during that summer.Fearne Cottonwas the main breakfast show holiday cover host.In 2021, Lucas continued to sit in forZoe Balland hostthe Radio 2 Breakfast Show.
From 10 August to 30 November 2019, Lucas appeared inLes Misérablesat theGielgud Theatrein London's West End, playing the role of Monsieur Thénardier in a fully staged concert adaptation of the musical. On 20 December 2019, Lucas returned to the role at theSondheim Theatre, after actor Gerard Carey contracted vocal damage through pneumonia and was forced to pull out. On 10 January 2020, Lucas himself was forced to withdraw from the show following a back injury.
In March 2020, he became the new co-host of theChannel 4andLove Productionstelevision showThe Great British Bake Off, taking over fromSandi Toksvig.He departed from the programme in December 2022.
On 3 April 2020, Lucas released a reworked version of his "Baked Potato Song" fromShooting Starstitled "Thank You Baked Potato", with all proceeds from the track going towards theFeed NHScampaign, which aims to provide meals forNHSworkers in the midst of theCOVID-19 pandemic in the UK.The song reached No. 34 in the charts. Lucas also wrote a children's picture book based on "Thank You, Baked Potato", published by Egmont and all proceeds again go to Feed NHS.
In 2020, Lucas, along with hisLittle Britainco-star David Walliams, apologised for their portrayal of characters using racialcaricatures, "including an obese Caribbean woman called Desiree DeVere, portrayed inblackface, and a 'portly Thai bride' called Ting Tong." This was prompted after Netflix and BBC iPlayer removed the show from their catalogues.
Lucas is a patron of the Karen Morris Memorial Trust, a UK charity forleukaemiapatients and their families. In April 2003, he appeared onCelebrityWho Wants to Be a Millionaire?and won £62,500 for the charity.
Lucas is gay. He first suspected his sexuality at age seven.At a ceremony inCentral Londonin December 2006, he entered into acivil partnershipwith Kevin McGee.In attendance wereBarbara Windsor,Neil Tennant,Elton John, andCourtney Love.They separated and had their civil partnership dissolved through the High Court in 2008.
Lucas was raised asJewishbut has variously described himself as anatheistand a "fairlysecular Jew".In 2022, he was the subject of BBC'sWho Do You Think You Are?and learned that many of his grandmother's cousins had been murdered inthe Holocaust.  His grandmother's cousin, Werner Goldschmidt, had lived with the family ofdiaristAnne FrankinAmsterdamin 1942.In 2021, 83 years after his grandmother left Berlin, Lucas obtainedGerman citizenship.
Lucas is an avid supporter ofArsenal Football Club.
From 2012 to 2015, Lucas lived with hisBridesmaidsco-starRebel WilsoninWest Hollywood.