‘I needed to be ready’: Matt Lucas admits joining Doctor Who was ’emotional thing’ as his late partner Kevin McGee had been a ‘huge fan’
Speaking at a screening event in London, Matt said: ‘I wanted to be in the show for a while but I had been a bit nervous about being in the show.
‘Partly because I’m a fan and partly because my late partner was a huge fan of it and so it was a bit of an emotional thing for me and I needed to be ready and enough time had passed for me to say “OK, I’m ready to do this”.’
He added: ‘Once I was ready then I wanted to come back in it and be in it more.’
Matt’s ex-partner Kevin, who worked for a TV company, tragically took his own life in 2009.
The couple married in a civil partnership in 2006, hosting a pantomime-themed reception attended by guests including Courtney Love and Sir Elton John.
But their relationship broke down two years later, with the pair alleged to have split over Kevin’s struggle with drug addiction.
Little Britain star Matt first appeared as Nardole in Doctor Who in 2015, returning in the Christmas special last year.
The 10th series will be the swan song for current showrunner Steven Moffat and the Time Lord, Peter Capaldi, who will make his final appearance as the Doctor in the 2017 Christmas special.
Doctor Who returns to BBC One on Saturday April 15, with the first episode of series 10, The Pilot.
