Matt Lucas has responded to claims that Little Britain is making an unexpected return, ruling out any plans to revive the controversial sketch show.
The programme, written by and starring Lucas and David Walliams, ran for three series from 2003 to 2006 after starting as a radio show. It became one of the UK's most-watched shows of the decade, but was removed from BBC iPlayer and Netflix in 2020 due to its use of blackface, homophobic gags and other jokes deemed unacceptable by modern standards.
Reports of a revival
The Sun reported that Lucas and Walliams were plotting to relaunch the sketch comedy after discovering the pair had revived Little Britain Ltd, the company behind the show. The publication claimed that a return to BBC One or other main channels was unlikely, and that the show would more probably end up on a streaming service making bolder decisions.
Lucas responded on X, writing: “I don’t know where this story has come from but there are no plans to reboot this show.”
Recent reunions and projects
Lucas recently appeared on the latest series of Taskmaster alongside Richard Ayoade, Nina Conti, Isy Suttie and Chloe Petts. Since Little Britain, he has starred in major blockbuster films and hosted The Great British Bake Off for three series with Noel Fielding.
Walliams left Britain’s Got Talent in 2023 after leaked transcripts revealed he made disrespectful comments about contestants during auditions. He also built a successful career as a children’s author, but his entire back catalogue was dropped by publisher HarperCollins following claims he harassed a young female publishing worker.
In 2025, the pair reunited for a new podcast and suggested they were working on a new project after teenagers began discovering Little Britain clips on TikTok. Speaking on Lorraine, Walliams said: “Everyone at his school is talking about it. As you rightly said, TikTok, people are sharing on TikTok. It’s a whole new generation discovering it. I think those social media things are great for one/two minute clips.”
He added: “I don’t know about you, but someone says every day is there going to be more Little Britain. Every day someone comes up to me in the street.”
