Matt Lucas talks ahead of Birmingham show

Matt will be talking about his life story and his new autobiography as part of the Birmingham Comedy Festival.

He says: “The book is a bit different to most memoirs you may have read, because it comes in the form of an A–Z. For instance, B is for Baldy! – which is what people used to shout at me in the playground (not much fun), G is for Gay (because I’m an actual real life gay) and T is for TARDIS (because I’m a companion in Doctor Who now). You get the sort of thing.”

Award-winning comedian, actor and writer, Matt is one of the nation’s most recognisable stars. He started his comedy career in the early 90s, working with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer on The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer and Shooting Stars, where he played giant baby George Dawes.

Then, he discovered major success with co-star David Walliams in Little Britain and Come Fly With Me, for which they won three Baftas, three NTAs and two International Emmy Awards.

He received much praise for his work onstage in Les Misérables and has since gone on to feature in many successful films and TV shows including: Alice in Wonderland, Bridesmaids, Paddington, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and now Doctor Who.

Life has been anything but straightforward for Matt and his book talks about bullying, the suicide of ex-husband Kevin McGee and his work on Little Britain.

He’s pleased to finally get things off his chest and told one interviewer: “I have traditionally been quite guarded, but in the book I think I’m fairly open. It was unexpectedly cathartic. I wanted to upload some stuff out of my head, to clear some space. Also, I’m 43 and thought if I wait too long, I won’t remember it.”

Matt’s unique appearance came about when his hair fell out at the age of six. Doctors weren’t sure what caused it. One thought it was shock following a road accident, another believed it was the result of an overactive immune system.

He remembers: “At the time, the big question was, ‘Will it grow back and how can we make that happen?’ But now I’m not looking for my hair to grow back because I don’t really care.” He wore a wig for a while – but it was a bouffant one for women that made him look ridiculous. So he’d take it off if it was hot or itchy, then he’d play catch with it or people would try it on.

People would poke fun at him because of his bald appearance – but he’d just make a joke out of their comments, becoming the class clown.

He has had a complex relationship with food, frequently bingeing when he’s been unhappy. He describes himself as having the eating age of a nine-year-old whose parents have gone out.

“When I’m in the US, I eat healthily, go on hikes and lose a load of weight  . . .  and then think, ‘Let’s celebrate by eating absurd amounts of chocolate’. I swing from one thing to another.”

Matt found it difficult to come to terms with his success. When he was featuring on Shooting Stars, his father died. He also struggled to come to terms with his sexuality and hankered for a proper relationship, rather than a clandestine back-of-the-bushes liaison. He received counselling for his troubles.

Later, he became a civil partner with TV producer Kevin after meeting in a nightclub. Their partnership lasted for 18 months before they went their separate ways. Kevin suffered from substance abuses and eventually he killed himself.

Matt adds: “Eighteen months later, he left me for someone else while in rehab, and less than 18 months after that, he killed himself. I grieve Kevin’s loss every day. It’s a grief that does not go. The facts do not tell the whole story. Nor will I, as I have explained already.”

Little Britain made him and Walliams huge stars. Though Matt wouldn’t go back because the show would feel outmoded.

“If I could go back and do Little Britain again, I wouldn’t make those jokes about transvestites,” says Matt. “I wouldn’t play black characters. Basically, I wouldn’t make that show now. It would upset people.

“We made a more cruel kind of comedy than I’d do now,” he adds. “Society has moved on a lot since then, and my own views have evolved. There was no bad intent there – the only thing you could accuse us of was greed. We just wanted to show off about what a diverse bunch of people we could play.”

Now he thinks it’s lazy for white people to get a laugh just by playing black characters.

Matt has led a remarkable life. And he’ll tell stories from it when he plays Birmingham.