Matt Lucas

This is the autobiography of Matt Lucas, who I primarily know as Nardole, the Doctor's companion in series 10 of Doctor Who. This book covers most of his life as a comedian and actor. It's told in a series of lettered chapters (e.g., B for "Baldy!", H for "Haberdashers' Aske's Boy's School," T for "The TARDIS") and you can read them in any order (I read "The TARDIS" first, naturally), but they work best as written, because Lucas references earlier chapters in later ones, even when he doesn't show more go in strict chronological order.

It's pretty interesting and pretty charming. I found the chapters about the evolution of Lucas's comedy career the most interesting, as he went from having a weird character as a stand-up act to being the brains behind Little Britain, an absolute national sensation. I like this kind of show business story, the kind that give me insight into a world I know nothing of (British stand-up), and Lucas peppers it with great anecdotes. I suppose I really must watch Little Britain now. The story of Lucas's youth is good, as is his discussion of his homosexuality. Also some of the stuff about how he went bald as a child is hilarious.

I didn't think the chapter "Idiot" did quite what he wanted to it; Lucas is really rather awful to an innocent hotel manager in it, and doesn't seem to have self-awareness about it. And maybe the chapter about food goes into a bit more detail than one really cares to hear.

The Doctor Who chapter is among the best, not because he gives any particular insight into the show (though I did learn a little), but because it's the most he discusses his partner Kevin, to whom he was married only eighteen month before Kevin left him for someone he met in rehab... and then eighteen months after that, Kevin committed suicide. Kevin was a massive Doctor Who fan, and the show meant so much to him-- and thus to Matt. Despite the misstep of "Idiot," the overall impression Lucas gives of himself is of a hard-working charming man whose successes are deserved, even if occasionally his ego gets the better of him. It was a quick read, and a highly enjoyable one. show less

Matt Lucas’s Little Me: My Autobiography examines his life in a humorous A-Z format, with each chapter offering a look into a specific part of his life. For example, A stands for Accrington Stanley, a character in The Roman Invasion of Ramsbottom, one of Lucas’s first theatrical roles in secondary school. D stands for Doing the Circuit, in which Lucas examines his work as a stand-up comedian and the various comedy clubs he frequented. He never shies away from his failures, but discusses show more what he learned from the experience and even manages to make the flops funny in the retelling. In G, Lucas tells of coming to understand his sexuality as a gay man and how he navigated London’s gay scene and his own family in an era less accepting than the one in which we currently live. Q for Queen focuses on the work of the greatest rock band in the world and what it meant to him as a teenager (as well as other anecdotes from his youth). In Y for Yankee Doodle, Lucas examines his understanding of the United States, where he currently lives in California.

These alphabetical chapters result in a nice conversational tone with the reader, as if he were retelling his past in the order it occurred to him while talking to you rather than following a strict chronological progression. He fills in any background necessary as it arises, but one can easily follow along and know where they are. The intimacy afforded by such a conversational framing also allows him a certain degree of honesty, where he freely admits mistakes and pains while also celebrating the highlights and triumphs that occurred at other times. Lucas is already an endearing soul, but this makes him all the more so as it creates a feeling of confidence between author and reader. In a neat multimedia twist, Lucas includes as song called “Middle of the Book” near the middle of the book (it’s slightly past the exact middle, but it feels like a turning point in the retellings). The page reprints the sheet music with lyrics and includes a link to middleofthebook.com, where readers can hear Lucas sing the song to musical accompaniment as a nice addition to their reading experience.

Lucas’s Little Me is a must-read for all fans of Matt Lucas and British comedy. It’s funny and offers a great insight into one aspect of British show-business from the late-1980s through the mid-2010s. show less

If you're a terrible American, like me, you might only recognize Matt from his appearances in Bridesmaids or Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Maybe even Doctor Who if you're a nerd. But, apparently he has been recognizable in the UK since the 1990s.

While I have always enjoyed British comedies like Keeping Up Appearances and Are You Being Served? I had never heard of Little Britain, Come Fly With Me, or Shooting Stars (or the vast majority of British celebrities mentioned). Reading Matt's show more stories about working with David Walliams and other co-stars, relaying the creation of characters like Lou and Andy or Vicky Pollard (yeah but no but yeah), I found myself YouTubing as many clips as I possibly could.

What I really enjoyed about Matt's autobiography was that he laid it out in alphabetical order instead of chronological. It was like jumping around his life in the Tardis, but without monsters trying to kill you.

Even though Matt went into some of the dark depths of his life from growing up with Alopecia and coming out to friends and family, he kept some things private, which was respectable. This wasn't one of those tell-alls where the author dishes all the dirt. Instead, Matt keeps some things private, which is respectable. After all, it's not People Magazine.

Overall, this autobiography was one of the most enjoyable ones that I have read. Matt's writing style and humor is constantly entertaining. If you like comedy and reading in a British accent, you'll really want to pick up Little Me. show less

I was fortunate enough to win a copy of this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers.

I was interested in this book because I highly enjoyed Matt Lucas' character on Doctor Who; he was the right combination of seriousness and comedic relief...okay, mostly comedic relief. But he was a character to be taken seriously. And this combination of honesty, vulnerability, and yes, comedy, shone through in this book. I guess my only negative would be that I didn't relate to Lucas as much as I was show more hoping, probably because I am not as familiar with his other work as he is a British actor and, alas, I am not British. However, it was a good read. 3.5 stars. show less