Matt Lacey (born 1987) is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for his recurring role as Ben in the BBC television series Cuckoo and as Orlando in the Gap Yah viral comedy sketch.
| Matt Lacey | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Matt Lacey |
| Born | 1987 (age 34–35) |
| Medium | Television, YouTube |
| Nationality | British |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Spouse | Frankie Ward (m. 2021) |
Lacey was born in the United Kingdom in 1987 to Irish immigrant parents and studied at the Whitgift School, South Croydon, as a child.[1] He went on to study modern history at Oriel College, Oxford University.[2] At Oxford he was a founder member of the Unexpected Items, a comedy group who would perform in pubs and later at festivals and comedy nights.[1] He was working in his family's construction business as recently as 2010 to support his comedy and acting work.[3]
His break-through was in the role of Orlando in the comedy sketch Gap Yah, produced and directed by Lacey's Unexpected Items team and VM Productions.[2] The video became a viral hit on YouTube, with 660,000 views in its first month and around 50,000 "fresh hits a day"[4] in late March 2010.[5] As of early 2017 the video had over 6 million views, while follow-ups part 2 and 3 have over 1.5 million views combined.[6]
Lacey joined the cast of Cuckoo on BBC Three in 2014 and was a recurring character in seasons 2 and 3 alongside Greg Davies, Helen Baxendale and Twilight star Taylor Lautner.[7]
In 2018 Lacey was touring on stage in a Bill Kenwright production of the Edgar Wallace play The Case of the Frightened Lady, he joined the cast as Detective Sergeant Totty in September 2018.[8][9]