Matt Lucas looks worlds away from his Little Britain days as he stuns The One Show viewers with new look and 'bizarre beard'

Matt Lucas looks worlds away from his Little Britain days as he stuns The One Show viewers with new look and 'bizarre beard' By KIRSTEN MURRAY, SENIOR SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER.

Key points

• Published: 09: 06 BST, 27 August 2026 Updated: 10: 02 BST, 27 August 2026.
• Matt Lucas looked worlds away from his Little Britain days as he stunned The One Show viewers with new look and 'bizarre beard' during Wednesday's episode.
• Fans were shocked by his beard debut on The One Show, writing on X: 'Didn't recognise Matt Lucas, quite a change since I last seen him.
• In a column for The Guardian in 2017, Matt penned that losing his hair 'shaped his childhood' and additionally his career afterwards on.
• Back in 2022, Matt made public how his family's concerning medical history produced him change his eating habits and become more conscious regarding his weight.

In practice, the actor, 52, sported a 'bizarre beard' as he made public he has grown the facial hair ahead of his stint as Fagin in the West End production of Oliver.

Joking regarding his new look, he informed hosts Clara Amfo and JB Gill: 'I'm growing this bizarre beard.'

Clara replied: 'Well, let's talk regarding that. I don't think we've ever seen you this way.'

Matt then explained: 'Well, I've never ever tried. I grew a moustache for three weeks in the pandemic, but I mean, you know, I've talked regarding this before. I have alopecia.

'I lost my hair when I was six, shortly after that photo was taken, actually.

Matt Lucas looked worlds away from his Little Britain days as he stunned The One Show viewers with new look and 'bizarre beard' during Wednesday's episode. Matt pictured as Vicky Pollard in Little Britain back in 2006.

When I knew I was doing this, I went, "Right, what happens if I don't shave?" And this is what happened.', 'So seven weeks ago.

He joked: 'So my aim is to keep growing it down to my ankles and then when I'm at the football and it's freezing in the winter.'

Matt will be playing criminal mastermind antagonist Fagin who leads the pickpocketing group of children in Oliver! On London's West End for six weeks from September 22.

Fans were shocked by his beard debut on The One Show, writing on X: 'Didn't recognise Matt Lucas, quite a change since I last seen him. Looking good though'; and 'Matt Lucas looks like a different person'.

Matt has been open regarding his lifelong battle with alopecia after he began losing his hair aged six in a delayed response to being knocked down in a traumatic car accident.

'I woke up one morning to find a number of hairs on my pillow, ' he wrote. 'The next day the same thing happened, only this time there were a lot more. By the end of that summer all my hair had fallen out.'

According to Although the actor, his childhood was 'tough' and that he was 'mocked and bullied' as of his baldness, he noted it has ultimately assisted him in his career.

'Would I have had my major break as a baby in Shooting Stars if I had had a full head of hair?' he wrote.

He remarked: 'I'm growing this bizarre beard. I've never ever tried. I grew a moustache for three weeks in the pandemic, but I mean, you know, I've talked regarding this before. I have alopecia'.

'My baldness has created me distinctive, yet additionally allowed me to transform myself. Stick a wig on and I'm someone else. Swap the wig and I'm now another person.'

Matt has additionally spoken openly concerning his weight loss after he dropped from an XXXL to a medium.

Matt was just 22 when his father unexpectedly passed away at the age of 52, something he notes was a much-needed wake-up call as he secured older.

Appearing on sports presenter Gabby Logan's podcast at the time, he remarked: 'I'm 48, my dad died when he was 52 highly suddenly, his dad died I think at 56 so I was looking at the law of averages here.

'I was particularly sizeable and I was getting bigger in the pandemic actually.

'Sort of not being particularly active, not really going out, not seeing residents, just eating a lot of roast potatoes. I can't tell you how plenty of roast potatoes I ate!'

He remarked this realisation caused him to lose weight but the comic stated he felt like he needed to do more exercise and become fitter nonetheless.

He continued: 'I was so sizeable I couldn't really fit on screen anymore. The thing is if you're major, and by the way I've still secured a proper tummy, I'm not skinny, by any means, I've just lost some weight.

'I've gone from maybe an XXL, sometimes I was an XXXL, down to a medium now I think. Although medium is sometimes major on me and sometimes it's small on me.

'The one thing I need to do is obtain fitter, I have put on a little bit of weight, that's my next challenge to do a bit more exercise.

'I might have to create a game of it when I go out and exercise to stay out of people's way. I don't have a garden so I have to find a way to do that.'

For now, matt Lucas looks worlds away from his Little Britain days as he remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.