Matt Lucas — things you didn't know about the comedian and presenter

While Matt Lucas rose to fame for his hilarious comedy sketch shows like Little Britain and Come Fly With Me alongside writing partner David Walliams, he has since cemented himself as a serious actor and TV presenter.

He joined The Great British Bake Off team in 2020, presenting alongside Noel Fielding as amateur bakers try to impress judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith with their baking skills.

Most fans of the presenter might know that he played Nardole in Doctor Who, he has got an autobiography titled Little Me and he has also has appeared in numerous West End plays and musicals, as well as Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland where he played Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

Now, with The Great British Bake Off 2022 here, what else is there to know about TV star Matt Lucas?

1. Matt rose to fame by playing a giant baby

In the mid-90s Matt appeared in the comedy gameshow Shooting Stars with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer. He played the role of George Dawes, who would reveal the team scores while dressed a giant baby in a romper suit and playing the drums!

2. Matt had some very famous school friends

When he was a teenager Matt attended the Haberdashers Aske's Boys School in Borehamwood. Also at the school at the same time were David Baddiel and Sacha Baron Cohen. Matt later went on to study at the University of Bristol, before joining the national Youth Theatre where he met David Walliams.

3. He lost his hair at just six years old

Matt revealed in his autobiography, Little Me, that alopecia caused his hair to fall out in 1980, when he was at infant school. According to Matt it was during the summer holidays that he started to lose his hair... "I wasn't initially concerned. At four my hair had been blonde and curly, but at five it was a big brown pudding bowl and I loathed it." 

However, Matt soon found that his hair loss helped people remember him and says being bald has helped his career.

4. He used to have a very famous housemate

After meeting Rebel Wilson while filming Bridesmaids in 2011, Matt became good friends with the actress and the pair lived together in West Hollywood between 2012 and 2015.

More: Things you didn't know about Rowan Atkinson 

5. Little Britain is his biggest success 

Little Britain started off as a BBC Radio 4 sketch show, but later became a comedy sketch show which Matt wrote with David Walliams. The pair also played most of the characters in the series including Vicky Pollard, Daffyd Thomas, and insensitive slimming club organiser, Marjorie Dawes.

6. He raised more than £1 million for charity by singing about a potato

In April 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Matt spent his spare time in lockdown rewriting the Baked Potato Song from Shooting Stars. The new song, called Thank You Baked Potato became an instant hit with all proceeds from sales going to Feed NHS, a charity that provided meals for NHS workers during lockdown. Matt not only got many of his famous friends to make covers of the song, but he also wrote a children's picture book based on the baked potato song.

7. Matt moved to California after personal tragedy

In 2012 Matt decided to leave the UK and move to California after his former husband, Kevin McGee, took his own life in 2009. He told Sunday Times Magazine: "I think people respond in different ways to grief. I wanted to build a new life. The first thing they say when something terrible has happened is not to do anything radical. But enough time had gone by for me to think now is the time for me to move on. I thought I had to go somewhere warm, so I went to California."

Matt Lucas' Fact File 

Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the presenter...

Twitter: @RealMattLucas

Instagram: @realmattlucas

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Main pic: Getty