Matt Lucas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Matt Lucas
Lucas at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Matthew Richard Lucas (1974-03-05) 5 March 1974 (age 51) Paddington, London, England
Citizenship	United Kingdom Germany
Occupation	Actor comedian
Years active	1992–present
Partner(s)	Kevin McGee (c. 2002–2008)

Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is a famous English actor and comedian. He is best known for his funny shows with David Walliams. These include the BBC sketch comedy series Little Britain (2003–2006) and Come Fly with Me (2010–2011).

Lucas first became well-known on the comedy show Shooting Stars. He played the character George Dawes from 1995 to 2009. From 2015 to 2017, he played Nardole in the BBC series Doctor Who. He has also been in many films. These include Alice in Wonderland (2010), Bridesmaids (2011), Paddington (2014), and Wonka (2023). From 2020 to 2023, Lucas hosted the popular baking show The Great British Bake Off with Noel Fielding.

Early Life and Education

Matthew Richard Lucas was born on 5 March 1974 in Paddington, London. His mother was Diana, and his father, John Stanley Lucas, owned a chauffeuring business. His family was Jewish. Some of his mother's family had to leave Nazi Germany just before World War Two.

Lucas has had a condition called alopecia since he was a child. This means he lost all his hair by the age of six in 1980. When Lucas was 22, his father sadly passed away from a heart attack.

He went to Aylward Primary School and then Haberdashers' Boys' School in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. Other famous comedians like David Baddiel and Sacha Baron Cohen also went to this school. Lucas studied drama at the University of Bristol from 1992 to 1995, but he did not finish his degree. He also spent time at the National Youth Theatre. This is where he met his future comedy partner, David Walliams.

Comedy Career and Famous Roles

Walliams and Lucas as Lou and Andy at Live 8 in 2005

Starting in Comedy

Matt Lucas started working with comedians Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer in 1992. He appeared in their show The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer in 1995. After that, he starred with them in Shooting Stars. He became famous as George Dawes, a character who was like a giant baby. George would tell silly jokes and then announce the scores for the teams. Lucas also sometimes played Marjorie Dawes, George's mother. This character later appeared in Little Britain.

He also worked with Reeves & Mortimer in other BBC TV shows. These included Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) and Catterick. In 1999, Lucas teamed up with David Walliams. They had already worked together on shows like Mash and Peas. Their new show was called Rock Profile. It was a comedy show that made fun of famous music stars. This was one of their first big comedy projects together. Lucas also wrote jokes for actor Sacha Baron Cohen.

Matt Lucas has appeared in several music videos. These include "Country House" by Blur and "I'm with Stupid" by Pet Shop Boys. In 2002, he performed in the musical Taboo in London. He played the artist Leigh Bowery.

The Success of Little Britain

Little Britain is Matt Lucas's most successful work. The idea for the show came when Lucas met an old friend, Ashley Blaker. Lucas told Blaker his ideas for a sketch show. Little Britain first started as a radio show on BBC Radio 4. It then became a very popular TV series.

In the show, Matt Lucas and David Walliams play many different characters. Some of Lucas's most famous characters are Andy Pipkin, who pretends to be disabled, and Vicky Pollard, a loud teenage girl. He also plays Daffyd Thomas and Marjorie Dawes, a strict slimming club leader. In January 2005, Lucas and Walliams were named the "most powerful people in TV comedy" by Radio Times magazine.

Later Projects and Hosting

In 2005, Matt Lucas took his first role in a TV drama. He played a Venetian duke in the BBC show Casanova. He also did voice work for the children's show King Arthur's Disasters. Since 2006, Lucas has been the voice of Digit Al. This character was part of a campaign to explain digital TV. In 2007, he released a charity song called "I'm Gonna Be" with Peter Kay. He sang it as his Little Britain character, Andy Pipkin.

Lucas also appeared in other TV shows like Kath & Kim and Neighbours. He even had a small role in the sitcom Gavin & Stacey. In 2008, he and David Walliams created Little Britain USA for HBO. In 2010, Lucas played Tweedledee and Tweedledum in Tim Burton's film Alice in Wonderland.

From 2010 to 2011, Lucas and David Walliams had a new show called Come Fly with Me. This show was all about the airline industry. Both Lucas and Walliams played many different characters working at an airport.

In 2010, Lucas played Thénardier in the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables in London. He played the role again in the West End in 2011. He also lent his voice to the animated film Gnomeo and Juliet (2011). He had a small role in the comedy film Bridesmaids (2011).

In 2015, Lucas launched a new comedy series called Pompidou for BBC Two. In May 2016, he returned as Tweedledee/Tweedledum in Alice Through the Looking Glass. Lucas also joined the BBC series Doctor Who as Nardole. He had first played this character in Christmas specials in 2015 and 2016.

In 2017, the University of Bristol gave Lucas an Honorary Degree. He had studied there years before but left without finishing. In October 2017, Lucas released his autobiography called Little Me.

In March 2020, Matt Lucas became the new co-host of The Great British Bake Off. He hosted the show with Noel Fielding until December 2022. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lucas released a song called "Thank You Baked Potato". All the money from the song went to the Feed NHS campaign, which provided meals for NHS workers. He also wrote a children's book based on the song.

Personal Life and Interests

Matt Lucas supports the Karen Morris Memorial Trust. This charity helps patients with leukaemia and their families. In 2003, he won £62,500 for the charity on Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

Lucas was raised Jewish. In 2022, he was featured on the BBC show Who Do You Think You Are?. He learned that many of his grandmother's cousins were killed in the Holocaust. His grandmother's cousin, Werner Goldschmidt, had lived with Anne Frank's family in Amsterdam in 1942. In 2021, Lucas also obtained German citizenship.

Matt Lucas is a big fan of Arsenal Football Club. From 2012 to 2015, he lived with his Bridesmaids co-star Rebel Wilson in West Hollywood, California.

Filmography

Films

Television

Shorts

Web videos

Audio dramas

Theatre

See also

In Spanish: Matt Lucas para niños