Matt Lucas Biography

Matthew Richard Lucas was born on 5th March, 1974 in Paddington, London as the younger son of Diana and John Stanley Lucas. His father was in the chauffeuring business. His elder brother is Howard Lucas.

In 1980, the six-year-old began losing his hair and became bald. His condition was recognised as alopecia universalis, a problem that leads to total hair loss on the scalp and body.

For his education, he went to Aylward Primary School and Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School in Hertfordshire. Thereafter, he joined the University of Bristol in 1993 to pursue a course in drama but never completed it.

During this time, he also gained some experience at the National Youth Theatre. It was here that he met David Walliams who later became his long-time onscreen partner.

Matt Lucas began his career on the stand-up circuit at the age of 18 and together with David Walliams created a routine around a fictional character Sir Bernard Chumley, a fading (legendary)1 actor. Lucas played the character in 1994, 1995 and 1996 at the Edinburgh Festival.

In 1995, he collaborated with actors and comedians Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer and appeared in their sketch show The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer.

The same year the collaboration led to a quiz show Shooting Stars wherein Lucas played George Dawes, a giant baby who delivered a string of meaningless gags behind a drumset before giving out scores to teams. The quiz show earned him mainstream fame and he ended up appearing in it till 2009.

In 1996, Lucas and David Walliams got together for their first television work – a parodic sketch show Mash and Peas. The duo not only wrote the show but also starred in it. In 1999, the two yet again wrote and starred in the comedy series Sir Bernard's Stately Homes.

The year 1999 also saw the two hosting an MTV like spoof music chat show – Rock Profile – where they played various pop/rock stars. The two also co-wrote 29 (28)2 episodes for the show.

Lucas’s other work during 1990s include featuring in the music videos of songs Country House (1995) by rock band Blur and Vindaloo (1998) by Fat Les.

In 2001, Lucas and Walliams created a sketch show Little Britain for BBC Radio 4. The radio show later became a television series (2003) which in turn became a huge hit and won many awards. In the show, which ran till 2007), Lucas played various characters. He was one of the writers for the show too.

Later, Little Britain Live was amongst the world's largest comedy tours ever and ran for two years (2005-2007) in the UK and Australia.

In 2001 again, he played the role of Cylinder/The Jelloid in the Big Finish productions audio drama – Doctor Who: The One Doctor – based on the long-running television series Doctor Who.

In 2002, he starred in Boy George's stage musical Taboo and played the role of the Australian performance artist Leigh Bowery.

In 2004, he got an opportunity to do a cameo role in the horror comedy film Shaun of the Dead which paved way for his Hollywood career.

In 2005, he was selected to play a supporting role in the BBC historical (comedy drama)3 serial Casanova. The same year, he began voicing the character of Merlin in ITV’s (CITV’s)4 children's program King Arthur's Disasters. He lent his voice for a total of 26 episodes till 2006.

In 2006 again, he did voice acting for the animated sitcom Popetown and also became the voice of the radio and television character Digit Al, created for the public information campaign for digital switchover.

In 2008, Matt Lucas and Walliams got together to executive produce, write and perform various characters in the all-new series Little Britain USA for HBO.

A couple of years later, they once again produced (associate), wrote and performed in the mockumentary comedy series Come Fly with Me. The series was set around the airline industry.

In between, in 2009, Lucas featured in a comedic swords and sorcery series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire which aired on Comedy Central.

In 2010, he bagged the wonderful role of the egg-shaped twin brothers Tweedledee and Tweedledum in Tim Burton's live action film Alice in Wonderland. The movie further established his reputation as a brilliant comedic performer. He reprised his role in the 2016 sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass.

The year 2010 also saw him hosting his own radio show And The Winner Is on BBC Radio2 and playing the character of Thénardier in the 25th Anniversary Concerts of Les Misérables at the O2 Arena, London.

He later reprised his role in the 2011 West End production Les Misérables at the Queen's Theatre and in in 2019 concert adaptation at Gielgud.

In 2015, Lucas wrote, directed and also starred in the BBC Two’s experimental comedy series Pompidou. In 2015 and 2016, he joined the cast of BBC series Doctor Who for its Christmas special episodes and reprised his role as Nardole in the tenth series in 2017.

In 2017 again, he penned his autobiography Little Me and in 2020 wrote a children's picture book based on his chart-storming charity song Thank You, Baked Potato. The proceeds from both the song and the latter book went to Feed NHS campaign.

In 2020, he was roped in as the co-presenter of television baking competition show The Great British Bake Off and also became the presenter of the miniseries Reasons to Be Cheerful with Matt Lucas.

Matt Lucas appeared in numerous other films and television shows. Some of the notable films include Bridesmaids (2011), Small Apartments (2012), Paddington (2014), How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2017) and A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018). He has also done voice acting in Astro Boy (2009), Gnomeo & Juliet (2011), Sherlock Gnomes (2018) and Missing Link (2019).

On television, his notable works include television movies The Wind in the Willows (2006) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (2016) as well as television series Gavin & Stacey (2007), Community (2013), The Life of Rock with Brian Pern (2014) and Round Planet (2016, narrator).

His other theatre credits include Prick Up Your Ears (2009) and Me and My Girl (2018).

Matt Lucas is openly gay and in 2006, he formed a civil partnership with Kevin McGee. However, the partnership was dissolved in 2008.

Matt Lucas is an accomplished cook and has even published a cookbook titled "Baking with Matt Lucas."

He is a talented impersonator and has done impressions of various celebrities, including Elton John and George Michael.

Matt Lucas is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and has spoken openly about his own struggles with anxiety and depression.

He is a skilled writer and has worked on several successful TV shows and comedy projects, including "Little Britain" and "Come Fly With Me."

Matt Lucas is a dedicated philanthropist and has been involved in numerous charitable endeavors, including supporting organizations that help disadvantaged children and individuals affected by HIV/AIDS.