The premise of the book is great and the author really delivers. Great read. Highly recommended. .

I remember first seeing Matt Lucas on Little Britain several years ago. His skits were so outlandish and hilarious. When I saw this, I knew I had to read it! I enjoyed reading about his childhood, cried for him when he lost the love of his life, and rode along for the rest of the journey thus far. Lucas’ humor shines through in every chapter, even throughout the heavier subjects. I would read definitely check out the final edit.

Unfortunately, this found itself on my did not finish pile... I hardly ever not finish a book, but this one I only got halfway through and I just couldn't force myself to read the remaining half as I found it boring. I love Matt Lucas, I think he is a great comedian, but it didn't portray well in his book.

I am so sorry I didn’t read this book sooner. Matt Lucas is one of my favorite people of all time. He makes me laugh. This book he made me laugh so many times literally out loud. (Not a millennial thank you 😝) I really feel for him and his loss of his partner. It’s not fair. I don’t know if you ever get over something like that. From his hatred of cheese to heart break to never watching Game of Thrones (I really hope he has seen it by now) this is an absolutely wonderful autobiography done from A to Z. Now, when is the next book? Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to review this.

A funny memoir. I've first seen Matt Lucas in Doctor Who and just loved him, wwhich is why I was excited to read this book :)

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

This is a charming and witty rather choppy story of growing up as an overweight shy boy with Alopecia trying to find his way in the world. The chapters jump around and you get the feeling this is probably true of Matt himself. He discusses everything from his eating habits to meeting the love of his life.

It is funny, sad and quite negative in parts, however it is very entertaining.

An enjoyable memoir by an interesting figure, and laying it out A-Z was the perfect way to break up what can be the predicatable pattern of a memoir! Recommended.

Lucas writes in a whimsical style, a little cheeky, a little different. There's a lot about the English comedy scene, his early life struggling at a high-brow school, the life of a comic starting off, and then his various successes on radio, TV, film and stage. I gained a much better appreciation of the genius behind "Little Britain" and Lucas's many talents.
The best writing is when he writes about his love and the lose of his only long term partner.

Alovely book, well written and engrossing. Matt Lucas gives a vivid account of his life and work, and he writes movingly about the loss of his partner. I was surprised bu how good a writer he was - although his comedy writing is excellent. I would love to read more by him

Matt Lucas has a warm, intimate writing style that makes you feel he is someone who you would love to sit down with and have an interesting chat. His autobiography touches all aspects of his life from the early childhood loss of his hair through to schools, university, his year selling Chelsea FC sports gear and his early stand up gigs. He mentions many of the people he has met who he has admired or who have helped him along the way. This is definitely ones for his fans as he relives from his early days with David Walliams on the radio version of Little Britain to the TV show and live tours. Mostly his book is filled with life and joy but he touches on the difficult times and loneliness he had at school due to his weight and loss of hair. He also briefly touches on his marriage, divorce and subsequent death of Kevin McGee and his very deep grieving for him. The A-Z format works very well in this memoir and allows Lucas to zip backwards and forwards to the important events in his life and allows him to riff on his favourite topics like eating. It's definitely going to be interesting to see where Matt Lucas pops up next on our TV screens!

I was born a berk. I probably even stubbed my toe on the way out.

Many Americans recognize Matt Lucas as Rebel Wilson’s brother in the movie Bridesmaids (wildly funny), I personally loved him in Little Britain and Little Britain USA when I still lived in the UK myself. This book isn’t all laughs, it’s an intimate autobiography about Matt’s struggles through his awkward childhood, memories of his family, revelations about his love life (including his coming out gay) and his rise to fame. People like to think comedians are all laughs, but they’re not. They suffer and struggle just like so many of us, and guess what, fame isn’t the key to eternal happiness and perfection.

Though in A to Z order, don’t expect too much structure, which may bother some people. For me, memories are devious and don’t play by the rules in our own heads, one minute you’re 12 then the next minute a stray thought intrudes and off you go, 25 now. Matt goes back and forth between youth and the present, from his humbling incidents such as with wigs, to his deep sorrows over his father’s imprisonment, and death. There had been love too, and the devastation of watching his beloved self-destruct. This book is both humorous and sad.

He is confident and self-deprecating, insecure and courageous. In fact, some of his less than stellar confessions just make him all the more relatable, human. Who knows why we do the crappy things we do to hide our own shame? Not everyone admits to that side though, do they? While his homosexuality shouldn’t be a ‘theme’ of course he touches on it, what it meant to be gay when he was coming up, the shame of it. I am old enough at 42 to know that when I was growing up being called gay was the ‘worst thing’ you could call someone. Imagine how that felt for people who actually were (are) gay, it’s not like it is today, there weren’t a ton of stars ‘out’, not yet. Sure, there were rumours but most adamantly denied it. Add that to his wild allergies, alopecia and you know his childhood had to come with a lot of insecurities and harassment without facing his burgeoning sexuality and yearnings. With a child that suffered through hellish skin struggles (trust me it’s not just about appearance, it is painful) my heart sinks with his. Autoimmune diseases are horrid!

Many of the stories are a chronicle of his journey on the road to comedy. It is a reminder that nothing is easy, that behind every star who seems to suddenly get famous overnight, there are years of climbing up the ladder, all behind the scenes. Whether one is lucky enough to have support and mentors or not, it requires perfecting your craft, many failures as much as successes. Matt was acting and living for comedy in his youth, he worked hard for every success he attained. Don’t expect any rotten gossip about other celebrities, he isn’t trying to sell the book that way. This is like sitting with your friend over drinks in a cozy setting and talking about life, confessing your best moments and your worst. On a side note, I really enjoyed learning how some of the characters were created, like Bitty! My husband, kids and I quote Little Britain all the time! You either get it, or you don’t.

USA Publication Date: Out tomorrow October 12, 2018

Canongate Books US

"This is the story of little me, from pudgy, awkward child to pudgy, slightly less awkward adult – via school musicals, adolescent angst, stand-up, Shooting Stars, Little Britain, Doctor Who, love, loss, wigs and giant pink babygros. And, in case your attention span is as short as mine, it comes in a handy A to Z format. So B is for Baldy! (yes, people did shout this at me in the playground), G is for Gay (because I'm an actual real life gay) and I is for Idiot (I was born a berk. I probably even stubbed my toe on the way out).

It will warm your heart, make you snort out loud in public and there’s even a catchy song in the middle. What I’m saying is, please buy this book. It is VERY good. I know I’m biased because I wrote it but it is."

It makes me a little sad that people probably know Matt Lucas now more for Doctor Who instead of the genius that is Little Britain...

Having enjoyed Little Britain, I was anxious to read this work. I want to thank Net Galley and the publisher for the ebook of this work.
Lucas tells the story of his life in chapters from A-Z. Much relates to his youth, his working the comedy circuit in Britain, the hardships in trying to sell the television show, and later of his work on Doctor Who and movies. Although he said that he would try to avoid dropping names, I found he should have dropped way more! Not knowing anything of the stars of the comedy world in Britain, his many references to these individuals left me in the dark. He rarely gets personal regarding his lover. It seemed that he was forced in his setting out of the narrative into the A-Z chapters. There just wasn't enough there. I wanted more comedy, more personal reflections.

Matt Lucas is a brilliant actor and he also seems like a very kind and genuine person. His stories about growing up with many health challenges and struggles as an artist will twist your heart and leave you amazed at his optimism. The language in this book is too blue for me, so I had to quit reading it. But I do admire his resilience.

I actually LOVED this book, Little Me, by Matt Lucas. I've long loved his acting and was so excited to see that he had written a book. It's funny, humble, and has heart. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read it! I've already ordered some copies for my library, as we have some huge Little Britain fans here.

Matt Lucus is most famous, in the United States, for doing <em>Little Britain</em> as well as being a companion to the 12th Doctor (Peter Capaldi), in <em>Doctor Who</em>. But if you don't watch British shows, you would never have heard of him, and that is a shame.

The Bitish version of thies book was called <em> Little Me: My life from A-Z</em>, which is a more accurate title for the book, because he does not tell his life in chronological order, but rather alphabetical order. So we go from finding out his first comedy gigs in the D chapter, which stood for doing the Circuit to jumping when he was a child, in the next chapter E, which stands for Eating. If you don't mind this jumping around, as he focuses on one this, it works.

It is kind of nice, that he writes in his voice, so you can hear him telling you the stories. And of course when he comes to G, he talks about "being the only gay in the village", which although he said he didn't create, he identified with quite well.

It is often what he says at the ends of the chapters which make the best points. On Eating, he said he had the tastes of a 9 year old, and on being Gay, he said that he wondered if in 25 years that gay authors would even devote a whole chapter to being gay. \

If you are looking to laugh throughout the book, you will be disappointed. Comedians typically have suffered to get to the state where they can make jokes about it. Matt lost his hair when he was a teenager, and in some of his early routines, he had fun playing about with a wig. He was able to make light of an unfortunate situation.

But if you want to find out what make the man who he is, this is an excellent book for that.

He name drops, a lot, but I am only familiar, in passing, with some of the "big" names he mentions.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

I discovered Matt Lucas while watching Doctor Who and was smitten by his facial expressions and his comic timing. I was intrigued to learn more about him through his autobiography, which was an entertaining read, and creatively structured. While most autobiographies unfold chronologically - from childhood through adulthood, sprinkled with heartfelt and humorous anecdotes - Lucas tells his life story in a timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly way via the alphabet. Each chapter (which vary in length and occasionally include posed and candid photographs) revolves around a specific word or phrase, jumping from his school days to his successes in film and television. While I wish the chapters surrounding his adventures in the TARDIS were longer (separate book perhaps?), learning about his early childhood counterbalances the humor and (inevitable) name dropping.

The narrative also comes across as conversational - his unique voice shines through, even when dealing with less glamorous and serious moments.

This book was not for me and I did not finish it. This book would be great if you lived in the U.K. or followed all of the British comics from the last 20 years. I'm somewhat of an Anglophile and I'd say about 50% of my television and movie viewing are U.K. offerings, but I had a hard time recognizing many of the names mentioned. This is a completely fine read, just for the hardcore British comic fan. And to be hones, the biggest reason I quit is because I really like Matt Lucas but the book kind of made him sound like a bit of a...not very nice person, and I didn't want him ruined for me. Still, thanks for the opportunity to read the ARC.

Depending on where you are in the world, you probably know Matt Lucas from the hit TV and stage show Little Britain or the film Bridesmaids. One of the UK's most iconic comedians, he not stopped for the last 25 years, appearing in music videos for Blur, adverts for Cadburys, onstage in Les Miserable and as Doctor Who's companion. 

I'll admit I didn't know that much about Matt Lucas before reading this. I mean he's rarely in the press and I was unaware of him before Little Britain.  Turns out, he's just working his ass off - and not doing much else.  He touches on the death of his partner, Kevin, nearly a decade ago throughout the book but explains at the start that he wouldn't be discussing it in any great detail, which I really respect. There's a lot of correcting mistaken perceptions and prolonged apologies for behaving like a bit of a twat, in Matt's own words. I feel like he did more than a little reflecting (as you would) when writing this and saw it as the opportunity to set the record straight in retrospect. And why not? This memoir feels really genuine, a little raw but genuinely upbeat and cheeky - exactly what you would expect from Mr Lucas. A really lovely read.

I need to start by admitting that I don’t really ‘do’ comedy. I don’t really get it. Jokes are lost on me and I feel awkward when everyone around me is laughing and I am left behind. As a result, much of Matt Lucas’ work has passed me by, and other than being the ‘two little fat boys’ in Alice and Wonderland I knew very little about his career. I saw a clip of Little Britain when I was younger and decided it wasn’t for me. I don’t watch Dr Who. So reading the autobiography was more of a discovery for me than it probably will be for a lot of readers, and to my surprise, I loved it! As a self confessed non-laugher at jokes, I found myself laughing out loud regularly during the first few chapters. My husband sitting next to me couldn’t understand it!

I enjoyed the way the life story was jumbled up and told through the letters of the alphabet rather than chronologically. It meant that when he referred to something later on, or reverted back to his childhood, you as the reader were almost reminiscing with him, now aware of the later life experiences that had resulted from the earlier memories. Some chapters were just funny - ‘eating’ was my particular favourite. Some were interesting - I learned a lot about the work that goes into being a successful comic and the time and effort that must go into producing original material. Other chapters were sad, as can be expected from any autobiography, but it is clear from the outset that Matt Lucas has led an interesting but often a difficult life. There are still unanswered questions for me given that certain areas were deliberately left vague, but I understand his need and preference to keep these private and am just grateful that he chose to write what he did so I could learn about his experiences.

I am now inspired to look up some of the programmes he has referenced in the book, to give some context to the stories and people he described. No promises that I will laugh though...