Matt Lucas reveals autism diagnosis in BBC Radio 2 interview

Comedian and actor Matt Lucas has publicly revealed for the first time that he is autistic, sharing the personal diagnosis during a conversation on BBC Radio 2. The 52-year-old, best known for his work on the sketch show Little Britain, made the disclosure while discussing his need for solitude to recharge amid a busy work schedule. Speaking to fellow comedian Romesh Ranganathan on his Saturday show, Lucas explained how he balances periods of intense social interaction with time alone. "I've never, ever spoken about this publicly, but I'm autistic," he said. "So I enjoy periods of being very sociable, like you are in the theatre, and then I also enjoy those periods of solitude where I can just write on my own." Ranganathan asked if Lucas felt he needed to "recharge each battery" between these modes. Lucas confirmed this, noting the demands of his current theatre run. "Yeah, and so on my days off, you know, you do theatre six days a week, apart from resting and resting my voice and all of that, I like not to see people and give them a break from me," he replied. "But just to have that recharge time is quite important to me.