Matt Lucas on his new boredom-busting book of games

Virgin Radio

1 Sep 2021, 09:54

The multi-award-winning actor, writer and comedian joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky to talk about his new fun-packed book for children, My Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very Silly Book of Games. He also chatted about the return of The Great British Bake Off.

Matt told Gaby Roslin and Ricky Wilson, who are in this week for Chris: “I had a book, My Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very Silly Book of Jokes, and I followed it up with a book of pranks. And now, tomorrow, I have my My Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very Silly Book of Games. And all these books are interactive, you see. I was just thinking, you know, during the pandemic, kids [are] stuck at home, so I thought it’s good to get kids reading, but also to get kids doing things that don’t necessarily involve looking at TikTok all the time, as much fun as TikTok is. So, I’ve got these sort of activity books really, for kids, and then they have silly comments from me, all the way through, next to the games, and fun illustrations, and they are good fun.”

Further explaining what we can expect from the new book when it is released tomorrow, (Thursday 2nd September), Matt said: “It’s divided into chapters, so there are games to play with lots and lots and lots of people, there are also games to play on your own. As well as games you can play, we tell you about games from the past. The silliest game of all-time, we tell you about. There are games to wear you out, there are also games to play in the car, or the bus, or on the train, because those journeys get long, don’t they?”

This is Matt’s fifth fun-packed book for children, and the third in the My Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Silly series. Matt said: “There is a chapter which I rather like, called Your Games... People send in their own games. Someone called Zack, who’s aged nine, has developed a very clever game called Splat The Apple. There’s an apple tree near his house, and when the apples are rotten, he throws them and tries to hit them with a cricket bat, but only when they’re really rotten.”

The book includes indoor games such as competitive sleeping, outdoor games such as What’s The Time Mr Wolf, and Cheese Rolling. There’s a whole page dedicated to Alex Horne’s Taskmaster, and there are silly games from around the world. Matt told Gaby and Ricky: “There’s one, Great Pumpkin Kayaking, which dates back to Nova Scotia, in Canada, 1999, where people get a giant pumpkin, hollow it out and kayak it across a lake. And also in Staffordshire, in 1974, Toe Wrestling began!”

Having come to prominence in Shooting Stars with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, and in Little Britain with David Walliams, Matt is co-host of The Great British Bake Off. Gaby asked him when we can expect the show to return, to which he responded: “I don’t know the exact date, but I know it’s soon.”

Matt told Gaby and Ricky that, as well as a new regular series of Bake Off, we’ll also get to see some more celebrity soggy bottoms and stunning showstoppers in the not too distant future. “Oh, I don’t know if I’m supposed to say this! I’m saying it anyway! We’re about to start filming the Stand Up To Cancer one, with celebrities.” 

When Gaby asked which celebs we can expect to see in the new episodes, the presenter told her: “I’m not allowed to say. It’s someone on TV! That’s my hint.”

When talking further about Bake Off, Matt enthused: “What’s not to love? I get to hang out with Noel and Prue and Paul. Dame Prue, I should say. And I get to eat a load of cakes! I mean, it’s the best job in the actual world. It’s as much fun as it looks. In fact it’s probably even more fun than it looks!" 

Multi-talented Matt has starred in several blockbuster films, including Alice in Wonderland, Bridesmaids, and Paddington. He told Gaby and Ricky that he’s set to be in another movie soon. “I can’t tell you what it is, but once we’ve done the Bake Off, I’m off to do another big film. It’s not Paddington 3, but it’s something big and I’m very excited about it, but it hasn’t been announced yet, so I’m not allowed to say. You’ll know very soon.”

My Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very, Very Silly Book of Games is out tomorrow, 2nd September.

For more great interviews listen to The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky, weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or catch up on-demand here.