Denise or Mavis 'Bubbles' DeVere (According to the stage show tie in programme guide) is a fictional character in the second and third series of the BBC television sketch show Little Britain. She is played by Matt Lucas.
Bubbles DeVere is a morbidly obese, bald (although she wears a wig) woman who prefers being naked to wearing anything at all (even going so far as to go shopping in the nude). For over a year, she has been a permanent resident at Hill Grange Health Spa (a reference to British children's programme Grange Hill).
Bubbles is very overweight, yet despite her bizzare appearance, she considers herself to be a "rather beautiful woman". Bubbles is completely oblivious to the reaction she receives to her nude appearance, which is usually one of shock and horror, however usually men become strangely attracted to her.
In keeping with the style of Little Britain, Bubbles has many catchphrases, the most notable being perhaps "HELLO DARLING" with which she addresses many people, including Gita the spa therapist (played by Yuki Kushida); however she also repeats the phrases "CALL ME BUBBLES DARLING EVERYBODY DOES!", (though no-one does apart from Gita, who refers to her as "Miss Bubble") and she is also prone to shouting "CHAMPAGNE, CHAMPAGNE FOR EVERYONE!" whenever she is in a joyous mood. She is also a kind and fun character who is not offensive to those around her - apart from when she strips (and Desiree DeVere, see below).
Bubbles also mispronounces many words including marriage (mariage) and dangerous (dangereuse), although this may be intentional or part of her pseudo French accent.
The creators of Little Britain seem to have taken a political stance in a number of their characters, and the name of Bubbles De Vere seems to be a play on the names of the right-wing newspaper proprietor Vere Harmsworth, 3rd Viscount Rothermere and his first wife Bubbles.
The second series
In her introductory scene in Little Britain, Bubbles is harassed by the Hill Grange Spa manager, Mr. Hutton, about her unpaid bill which amounted to more than £25,000. After unsuccessfully trying to lay the blame on her husband in Monte Carlo, she constantly strips to Mr. Hutton to try and get off with paying the bill.
Bubbles also went to the extreme length of laying in a sunbed for over three hours, to avoid discussing the payment situation with the manager. When she finally came out, burnt and smoking, she had to be excused as she was "...a little bit on fire".
Bubbles believes that Mr. Hutton finds her attractive and that he will accept being seduced by her as compensation for her unpaid bill. When she finally arrives in Hutton's office with a cheque, she tears it up and removes not just her towel (the only thing she's ever seen wearing, if she has anything on at all) but her wig as well, revealing herself to be bald and even more unattractive.
Mr. Hutton did not feature in the third series (2005), and so the situation was never properly resolved; it is unknown whether the bill was ever paid.
The third series
In the third series, Bubbles' ex-husband Roman DeVere (played by Rob Brydon) and his new-found wife Desiree, a former Miss Botswana, are introduced. Desiree is an ex-international showjumper who is even larger than Bubbles. The couple arrives at the spa for their honeymoon, much to Bubbles' discomfort. Roman apparently has a fetish for obese women, and apparently, Roman had divorced Bubbles because she had lost a lot of weight.
Bubbles cannot stand to watch the man she still loves slip through her fingers, and she often tries to rekindle their relationship whenever Desiree is out of sight, to the extent that Desiree often finds them in compromising positions, becomes jealous, and starts a fight with Bubbles. Roman gets very excited watching the two women he loves battle for his attention, as they are often in the nude.
Roman and Desiree leave the spa at the end of the third series, leaving a heartbroken, acupuncture needle-covered Bubbles in tears.
Bubbles' actual name
Mrs. DeVere's actual name is the subject of much debate. A bill in the second series gives her name as Mavis, but the programme guide for the stage show states that her name is Denise.
Little Britain Abroad
Bubbles reappeared in two sketches of the "Little Britain Abroad" Christmas special. In one, she visited a holiday home in Monte Carlo, eats a Ferrero Rocher slowly and attempts to seduce Ronnie Corbett; in another, she tried to con a shop assistant at a ski resort in Switzerland into giving her a free designer dress, which she tries on and her huge size rips it to pieces. (Note: At the start of this scene Bubbles is seen fully dressed for the first time ever)