Matt Lucas has disclosed for the first time that he is autistic, sharing the news during an appearance on Romesh Ranganathan’s BBC Radio 2 programme.
The 52-year-old comedian and actor, who found fame through Little Britain, had previously kept his diagnosis private. He did not reveal when he received it.
“I’ve never, ever spoken about this publicly, but I’m autistic,” he told Mr Ranganathan.
“So I enjoy periods of being very sociable, like you are in the theatre, and then I also enjoy those periods of solitude where I can just write on my own.”
Matt Lucas has revealed publicly for the first time that he is autistic
|
PAThe actor described living with the condition throughout his life, explaining how he switches between intensely social stretches of work and quieter periods spent alone to recover.
When Mr Ranganathan asked whether he found himself needing to “recharge each battery” by switching between those two modes, Mr Lucas replied: “Yeah, and so on my days off, you know you do theatre six days a week, and on my day off, apart from resting and resting my voice and all of that, on my day off I like not to see people and give them a break from me.
“But just to have that recharge time is quite important to me,” he said.
The actor framed his time away from others not as antisocial behaviour but as a necessary part of sustaining himself through the demanding schedule of live performance, where he is surrounded by cast and crew for the vast majority of each week.
The Little Britain star explained that he needs periods of solitude to ‘recharge’ after being sociable
|
GETTY
Beyond his autism revelation, Mr Lucas spoke about a busy slate of forthcoming and ongoing projects.
He is set to appear later this year in Matthew Bourne’s production of Oliver! at London’s Gielgud Theatre, a show that also features Mr Ranganathan’s son in the cast.
The performer has portrayed Thénardier in Les Misérables intermittently for more than 16 years, and told Mr Ranganathan he continually uncovers fresh dimensions in the role.
He also expressed ambitions to one day take on Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof and Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd, though he questioned whether the Sondheim estate would allow a male actor in the latter part.
The 52-year-old comedian said he had ‘never, ever’ spoken publicly about being autistic before
|
PAMr Lucas is meanwhile writing his third novel, his first aimed at adults, and already has plans for a fourth.
In 2025, he reunited with David Walliams for a twice-weekly podcast called Making a Scene.
Mr Lucas has been open about other aspects of his wellbeing in the past.
In 2022, he revealed on Gabby Logan’s podcast that his father’s sudden death at the age of 52 had prompted him to confront his own physical health.
“I was very big and I was getting bigger in the pandemic, actually,” he said at the time, adding that he had become inactive and started overeating.
He described slimming down from an XXXL to a medium.
Matt Lucas has enjoyed a decades-long career spanning comedy, television, film and theatre
|
GETTY
According to the NHS, autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that a person is born with, affecting how they communicate, process information and experience sensory input.
There is no cure or treatment, but various forms of support are available, and an individual’s needs may shift depending on their circumstances.
Comments are closed.