Matt Lucas issues public apology to Millie Bobby Brown after Vicky Pollard comparison
Brown had previously called the actor out for being "a grown man mocking a young woman’s appearance"
By Gary Grimes
Little Britain star Matt Lucas has issued a public apology to actress Millie Bobby Brown after she called him out for a joke he made about her appearance.
Last week Lucas made headlines after he commented beneath a photo of the Stranger Things starlet saying “no but yeah but”, the catchphrase of his Little Britain character Vicky Pollard, referencing the similarities between Brown’s look in the photo and the character’s signature costume.
Following this, Brown took to social media to criticise both Lucas and the mainstream media that had amplified his joke by covering it, as well as other journalists who had written negatively about her changing appearance in recent times.
In a video message posted to her Instagram, Brown wrote: “Let’s talk about the articles, the headlines, the people who are so desperate to tear young women down.”
She then listed through a series of recent headlines about her, including one which read “Little Britain’s Matt Lucas takes savage swipe at Millie Bobby Brown’s new ‘mommy makeover’ look” published on the MailOnline.
Brown was critical of this article for “amplifying an insult rather than questioning why a grown man is mocking a young woman’s appearance.” She went on to say: “This isn’t journalism. This is bullying. The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices, it’s disturbing. The fact that some of these articles are written by women? Even worse.”
Stars like Lily Allen, Sarah Jessica Parker, Chris Pratt, Lewis Hamilton and Bella Thorne shared messages of support under Brown’s post.
Lucas has since responded with a written statement posted on his Instagram. “Dear Millie, I just saw your post and wanted to respond, and provide some context,” he began. “Nearly 25 years ago I co-wrote and appeared in a sketch show called Little Britain.
“There was a character in it called Vicky Pollard, who had blonde hair and always wore a pink top, and in the photo you had blonde hair and wore a pink top so I pointed out the similarity by posting one of her catchphrases,” he went on.
“I thought you looked terrific and I was mortified when the press wrote that I ‘slammed’ you, firstly because that’s not my style, and secondly because I think you’re brilliant.
“I would not have posted it if I had thought it would have upset you but I realise it has and for that I apologise,” the Bake Off presenter concluded.
Speculation has been rife in recent times that Brown’s image overhaul, which has included bleaching her hair platinum blonde, is connected to rumours circulating that she is in contention to play Britney Spears in the upcoming biopic based on the star’s life, directed by Wicked filmmaker Jon M. Chu.