The One Show viewers shocked by Matt Lucas’s ‘bizarre’ new facial hair

Comedian and former Bake Off host Matt Lucas has revealed a bold new look, and it’s caused quite a stir online.

The 52-year-old funnyman has grown himself a rather natty little beard and proudly debuted his impressive facial hair on last night’s episode of The One Show.

Matt, who was there to promote his six-week stint as Fagin in the West End production of Oliver, joked during filming about his ‘bizarre beard’.

Hosts Clara Amfo and JB Gill immediately wanted to know more, prompting the Little Britain star to explain his new look.

‘I grew a moustache for three weeks in the pandemic,’ he said. ‘I’ve talked about this before. I have alopecia. ‘I lost my hair when I was six.’

‘So seven weeks ago, when I knew I was doing this, I went, “Right, what happens if I don’t shave?” And this is what happened.

‘So my aim is to keep growing it down to my ankles, and then when I’m at football, and it’s freezing in the winter.’

Following Matt’s One Show appearance, viewers flocked to X to let their feelings about the beard be known.

‘Didn’t recognise Matt Lucas, ‘ wrote ‘@ronan367. ‘Quite a change since I last saw him. Looking good though.’

It was Matt’s recent weight loss, though, that really caught fans’ attention.

‘I just can’t compute Matt Lucas as a thin man,’ wrote @sdfpk, while @MaisyMooCow added: ‘A slimmer Matt Lucas looks like a different person’.

Matt has always been very open about living with alopecia, saying that while it meant he had a tough childhood, it also helped him in his career.

‘My childhood was tough, yes, ‘ he wrote in The Guardian.

‘No one wants to feel eternally self-conscious, constantly stared at, teased, mocked and bullied. But also it’s important to get things into perspective.

‘Being bald has helped me in my career. Would I have had my big break as a baby in Shooting Stars if I had had a full head of hair?

‘My baldness has made me distinctive, yet also allowed me to transform myself. Stick a wig on, and I’m someone else. Swap the wig, and I’m now another person. Perfect.’