Matt Lucas

Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter.

Matthew Richard Lucas was born on 5 March 1974 in the Paddington area of west London, the son of Diana (née Williams; born 1945) and chauffeuring business owner John Stanley Lucas (1944–1996).

His family is Jewish; some of his mother's family fled Nazi Germany just before the Second World War.

He was raised in a Reform Jewish household although his parents came from Orthodox Jewish families.

He has had alopecia since 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 and Haberdashers' Boys' School in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.

He studied drama at the University of Bristol between 1992 and 1995, although he did not complete his degree.

He also spent time with the National Youth Theatre, where he met his future collaborator David Walliams.

Lucas's association with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer began in 1992.

Lucas first came to prominence on the comedy panel show Shooting Stars, in which he portrayed scorekeeper George Dawes from 1995 to 2009.

He appeared in The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer in 1995, and went on to star with them in Shooting Stars.

He quickly rose to fame as George Dawes, a giant baby (often dressed in an adult-sized romper 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 as Marjorie Dawes, George's mother, who also appears in Little Britain.

He again appeared with Reeves & Mortimer in the BBC TV series Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) and Catterick, in a variety of roles.

In 1999, Lucas paired with David Walliams, with whom he had already worked in Mash and Peas and Sir Bernard's Stately Homes, to create Rock Profile, a comedy show spoofing famous musical personalities.

It is notable for being one of their first comedic collaborations.

Lucas ventured into stage musicals in 2002, when he took a role in Boy George's musical Taboo at The Venue in London.

He played the performance artist Leigh Bowery.

Little Britain is Lucas' most commercially successful work.

The show came about when trainee BBC radio producer Ashley 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 the Groucho Club, where he told Blaker of his ideas for a sketch show.

Little Britain was launched as a radio show on BBC Radio 4 and 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 Bristol chav Vicky Pollard, homophobic homosexual Daffyd Thomas, and insensitive slimming club organiser Marjorie Dawes.

He is best known for his work with David Walliams on the BBC sketch comedy series Little Britain (2003–2006) and Come Fly with Me (2010–2011).

His music video appearances include the Damien Hirst-directed video for Blur's "Country House", "Jesusland" by Ben Folds in 2005, "I'm with Stupid" by Pet Shop Boys, and "Vindaloo" by Fat Les.

In January 2005, Lucas and Walliams were named the most powerful people in TV comedy by Radio Times.

In 2005, he took his first role in a television drama, a supporting part as a Venetian duke in the BBC historical serial Casanova, written by Russell T Davies.

Also in 2005, he did voice work in the ITV children's program King Arthur's Disasters alongside Rik Mayall.

Since 2006, Lucas has been the voice of the radio and television character Digit Al, devised as part of a public information campaign on digital switchover.

On 26 November 2006 he appeared on the BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs.

He made a cameo appearance in Shaun of the Dead as Tom, the cousin of Shaun's friend Yvonne.

He also starred as Mr. Toad in The Wind in the Willows, a 2006 television adaptation of the Kenneth Grahame novel.

He has appeared in Kath & Kim and Neighbours (the latter alongside David Walliams as Little Britain characters Lou and Andy), as well as a cameo role, playing 'Chris' or 'Jammy' at the wedding fayre, in the BBC Three sitcom Gavin & Stacey.

Lucas has co-written (with Walliams) and performed in a new series of Little Britain USA for HBO.

In 2007, he released "I'm Gonna Be", originally by The Proclaimers, with Peter Kay as a charity single for Comic Relief.

He performed the single as Little Britain character Andy Pipkin, along with Kay playing as Brian Potter.

He has also appeared in films, including Astro Boy (2009), Alice in Wonderland (2010), Bridesmaids, Gnomeo & Juliet (both 2011), Small Apartments (2012), Paddington (2014), and Wonka (2023).

From 2015 to 2017, he portrayed the role of Nardole in the BBC series Doctor Who.

Lucas presented the baking competition show The Great British Bake Off, alongside Noel Fielding from 2020 to 2023.