The Matt Lucas Awards

April 11th 2012

What with David Walliams’ recent forays into the Channel and the Thames for charity, and his new role as a scene-stealing judge on Britain’s Got Talent, you could be forgiven for forgetting about the capabilities of his Little Britain partner Matt Lucas, who has been ensconced largely in the world of acting since their hit show.

On Tuesday night, however, his Radio 2 panel show The Matt Lucas Awards made the transition to BBC One, offering a chance for Lucas to try his hand at presenting. The premise is pretty self-explanatory: three guests make nominations for a range of silly awards, and after a good deal of bantering Lucas judges the winner. Fittingly for the casual pub debate feel of the concept, the show’s set is ‘Matt’s flat’, with his mum sat in the kitchen, and composer David Arnold also on hand to play jaunty links on the piano.

Undeniably it’s a fun concept, but these kind of shows usually depend on a strong set of guests -  Tuesday’s episode featured the reliable Jason Manford, Graeme Garden, and the brilliant Henning Wehn. The awards up for debate were Smuggest Nation of People (the Swedes and the English beaten by the Chinese), Most Artistic Guest, judged by a life-size Morph, and Dreadfullest Football Song Ever, awarded to Glenn Hoddle’s ‘Diamond Lights’ after all the guests had given a rendition of their nomination.

But it is Lucas himself that makes the show fly, being a comedian whose jolly demeanour can make him seem charmingly inoffensive even when he’s insulting you. He’s impossible to dislike and irrepressible – there aren’t many presenters who can get away with singing the theme tune and then standing up at the end to sing again for no apparent reason. Under him the format feels cohesive and good-natured: a moment that could have been painfully awkward when Graeme Garden uncomfortably sang his football song was saved by Lucas joining in and getting the audience going.

The show has worked hard to make the transition from radio, and to liven up the debates about the awards. My only real criticism is that David Arnold was underused – it felt as if the format hadn’t quite worked out how to fit him in. Whilst Lucas’s mum popped up just enough to provide an irreverent and homely feel, Arnold’s role was unclear. Perhaps he had a bigger role in the radio version, which I’ve never heard, but here he felt somewhat surplus to requirements.

The format feels strong enough to contend with the established BBC comedy line-up on a Friday night, and perhaps once the show has established itself it will earn a promotion from an ill-fitting Tuesday night slot. But the show has gotten off to a good start; previously I counted myself as a huge fan of the charismatic David Walliams – this made me wish there was more of Matt Lucas on television.