5 times Matt Lucas hilariously and brutally mocked Boris Johnson

Matt Lucas has been on a bit of a roll lately when it comes to trolling.

Whether it’s impersonations or, well, more impersonations, the comedian has been mocking Tories, and Boris Johnson in particular, for a few years now and isn’t afraid to show it.

Over the years, Lucas has fine-tuned his impression of the prime minister, capturing those singular mannerisms and speech patterns that make Johnson so recognisable – all to ridicule him and entertain us.

And with lockdowns implemented and Johnson seemingly appearing on our TV screens more and more often, Lucas’ expert take on the politician couldn’t have come at a better time.

With that in mind, we’ve taken a look back at all the times Matt Lucas has perfectly skewered Boris Johnson and the Conservatives.

Brexit

Lucas has made no attempts to hide his feelings on Brexit which, judging by his output, he firmly doesn’t approve.

On the more upfront side, he made his stance clear on Twitter by sharing (without adding a comment) an op-ed by Ian McEwan for The Guardian which called Brexit “the most pointless, masochistic ambition in our country's history, is done”. Succinct.

Then last year, Johnson (a Tory MP at the time) took to Twitter to rant about the slow-moving Brexit process, moaning about how Theresa May invited the Labour party to help with the government’s attempts to leave the EU.

In response, the Little Britain star delivered a scathing takedown, who coughed through a short statement imitating of Johnson:

I'm absolutely disgusted with Theresa May. I represent my constituents. I voted to be leaving the EU. I voted to be leaving Brussels. I voted to be leaving the Union. I voted to be leaving on a jet plane. I voted to be leaving Las Vegas with Sir Nicholas Cage. I didn't vote for a second referendum. So instead we'll be having another vote tomorrow and another vote the next day and another vote the next day until we sort this bloody thing out once and for all.

Little did people know, that impersonation would make a comeback, and another comeback… and another.

Little Brexit

Lucas’ bite-sized impressions would just be the beginning.

In 2019, Lucas and David Walliams also revived Little Britain for a radio special titled Little Brexit. In the Brexit-themed reunion, the pair brought back a few of their most famous characters including Vicky Pollard, whose trademark indecisiveness and famous catchphrase “yeah but no but yeah” was weaponised against Johnson for its uncanny similarities to the prime minister.

Lucas also briefly revived his Johnson impression – voice only this time – for the radio special, for a joke about his ascent to the top position: “We asked a handful of men who live in Tunbridge Wells who should be prime minister,” Lucas said, mimicking Johnson cadence. “And they said me.”

Still, this doesn’t stop Little Britain from being horrifyingly problematic, from its thoughtless use of blackface to the many caricatures of the disabled.

Boris Johnson announces the first lockdown

BoJo by Matt Lucas made a triumphant return after the PM announced the first lockdown back in March.

After a confusing speech from the prime minister, the comedian posted a video that pretty accurately summarises the prime minister’s convoluted and confusing speech in just 15 seconds.

“Go to work, but don’t go to work,” he bumbles. “Go outside, but don’t go outside.” The resemblance is uncanny.

Boris Johnson takes Bake Off

At this point, you might realise that Lucas has his Boris Johnson impression down pat. His hilariously accurate take on the prime minister (which he had been infrequently deploying for well over a year) would finally make the transition from the Twitter timeline to the screen when Lucas took over co-hosting duties on the Great British Bake Off this year.

With the first episode of the season beginning right after the prime minister’s address to the country, he jumped at the chance to bring out his impression, making people question whether Johnson’s address was on repeat.

Lucas kicked off the season with an opening monologue mocking the prime minister and his contradictory addresses to the public. “If you must bake in a tent, bake in a tent, but please don’t bake in a tent,” he said. “And we are asking people to use common sense with regards to the distribution of hundreds and thousands.”

Boris Johnson is very late

Just a few weeks ago (though it seems longer than that), the PM was supposed to address the nation in a press conference that ended up starting much, much later than planned.

As the nation waited impatiently for the press conference to begin so Strictly wouldn’t get pushed back, Lucas took to Twitter resurrected his impression once more to voice what everyone assumed the prime minister was planning:

We are saying at four o’clock, we’ll have a 5:30 press conference, and this begins at 6:45.

Beating the previous record, it took Lucas just seven seconds to really capture the spirit of the PM. If only he was as upfront.

Who knows when Lucas will resurrect his Johnson impression once again? We expect sooner than later.