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David Walliams
David Walliams OBE | |
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Walliams at the premiere for Pudsey the Dog: The Movie in 2014 | |
Born | David Edward Williams 20 August 1971 Wimbledon, London, England |
Alma mater | University of Bristol |
Occupation |
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Years active | 1995–present |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | 1 |
Website | worldofdavidwalliams |
Signature | |
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David Edward Williams[1] OBE (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series Rock Profile (1999–2000, 2009), Little Britain (2003–2007) and Come Fly With Me (2010–2011). Since 2012, Walliams has been a judge on the television talent show competition Britain's Got Talent on ITV. He is also a writer of children's books, having sold more than 37 million copies worldwide.[2]
Walliams played the role of Greville White in the 2007 television drama film Capturing Mary. From 2013 to 2014, he wrote and starred in the BBC One sitcom Big School. In 2015, Walliams starred as Tommy Beresford in the BBC drama series Partners in Crime, and wrote and starred in his own sketch comedy series Walliams & Friend. He has won the award for Best TV Judge for his work on Britain's Got Talent at the 2015, 2018 and 2019 National Television Awards.[3]
Walliams began writing children's novels in 2008 after securing a contract with the publisher HarperCollins. His books have been translated into 53 languages,[4] and he has been described as "the fastest-growing children's author in the UK", with a literary style compared to that of Roald Dahl.[5][6][7] Some of his books have been adapted into television films, which he has also appeared in, such as Mr Stink (2012), Gangsta Granny (2013) and Billionaire Boy (2016).
Walliams was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to charity and the arts. His charity work includes swimming the English Channel, Strait of Gibraltar and River Thames, raising millions of pounds for the BBC charity Sport Relief.
Early life and education
Walliams was born at St Teresa's Maternity Hospital in Wimbledon, in the London Borough of Merton, in 1971. He is the son of Peter Williams (1936–2007), a London Transport engineer, and Kathleen Williams (née Ellis), a laboratory technician who worked at Sutton Grammar School. Walliams grew up in Banstead, Surrey, specifically in the residential area of Nork, with his mother, father and sister Julie. He was educated at Collingwood Boys' School in Wallington, and Reigate Grammar School in Surrey, where he was a contemporary of writer Robert Shearman.[8] From 1989 to 1992, he studied at the University of Bristol, where he resided at Manor Hall and graduated with Bachelor of Arts (Drama).[9] During university holidays in 1990, Walliams performed with the National Youth Theatre, where he met future comedy partner and friend Matt Lucas. He changed his stage name to David Walliams when he joined college Equity, as there was already a member named David Williams.[10]
Television career
Walliams performed in the Big Finish Productions Doctor Who audio play Phantasmagoria, written by Mark Gatiss in 1999. In 2005, Walliams, Simon Pegg, Lucy Davis and Lauren Laverne starred in the video for Charlotte Hatherley's single "Bastardo". Later in the year, Walliams presented a documentary on James Bond, entitled David Walliams: My Life with James Bond. In 2007, he returned to non-comedy television, garnering positive reviews for his portrayal of a suave and dangerous manipulator in Stephen Poliakoff's Capturing Mary.[11]
He portrayed comedian Frankie Howerd in the BBC Four television film Rather You Than Me. In 2010, Walliams appeared with Paul Rudd and Steve Carell in the comedy Dinner for Schmucks. Walliams played the strange mole-like alien Gibbis in the sixth series of Doctor Who, in the episode "The God Complex", broadcast on BBC One in 2011. In April 2012 Walliams appeared in an episode of ITV's Perspectives programme entitled "David Walliams: The Genius of Dahl".[12] Also in 2012, he narrated Are You Having a Laugh? TV and Disability on BBC Two,[13] and the ITV2 series Top Dog Model.
In 2013, Walliams appeared in two episodes of the comedy series Blandings as Rupert Baxter, an efficiency expert hired to serve as Lord Emsworth's secretary. Also that year, and in 2014, Walliams starred as chemistry teacher Keith Church in the BBC One sitcom Big School, which he created and co-wrote. The series also starred Catherine Tate, Frances de la Tour and Philip Glenister. In March 2014 Walliams narrated a short video for the charity, Electrical Safety First, featuring the character Charley from the Charley Says educational films of the 1970s.[14]
For Comic Relief 2015, Walliams appeared as Lou Todd and Stephen Hawking in the Andy Pipkin role along with Catherine Tate as a nun.[15] In 2015, coinciding with the 125th anniversary of Agatha Christie's birth, Walliams played the role of Tommy Beresford in Partners in Crime, a six-part BBC series.[16] In September 2015, Walliams began filming for his BBC sketch show Walliams & Friend, which also starred Joanna Lumley and Morgana Robinson[17] and premiered on Christmas Eve in 2015. The show returned for a full series in November 2016.[citation needed]
Walliams hosted the final comedy show Thrills and Spills in December 2016. The final was held in Louisville, Kentucky. In December 2016, Walliams presented the Royal Variety Performance and a Christmas special episode of Blankety Blank, both shows for ITV. In 2017, Walliams guest presented five episodes of The Nightly Show for ITV.
In 2017, Walliams, along with Rochelle Humes, were both confirmed as Voice Trumpets, joining the existing cast of Daniel Rigby, Antonia Thomas, Jim Broadbent, Fearne Cotton and Jane Horrocks In series 2 of the reboot of classic British children's television series Teletubbies.
In October 2019, Walliams became the new National Television Awards (NTAs) host for 2020, taking over after Dermot O'Leary's ten year presenting stint.[18]
Matt Lucas
Walliams and Matt Lucas first met at the National Youth Theatre. At their first meeting, Lucas did an impression of Jimmy Savile and Walliams an impression of Frankie Howerd. They would not meet again for another year.[19] In the late 1990s, playing minor roles in sketches such as The Club, Walliams and Lucas played grotesque caricatures of various rock musicians in the series Rock Profile and in the spoof documentary series Sir Bernard's Stately Homes. They were also stars of the Paramount Comedy Channel show Mash and Peas, and it was in this guise that they appeared in the Fat Les video. Walliams and Lucas also had small roles in Plunkett and Maclaine as prisoners.
The duo appeared together in a music video for the Pet Shop Boys single "I'm with Stupid", in which the two are apparently auditioning their version of the song's video for Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, who are tied up and appear to be hostages.
The pair are best known for Little Britain, which ran from 2003 to 2009 on the BBC in the UK and from 2008 onwards on HBO in the USA. The programme first aired on BBC Three before moving to the more mainstream BBC One. Among the characters Walliams played were Emily Howard, a deluded "transvestite"; Ray McCooney, an insane Scottish hotel owner; and Sebastian Love, an aide de camp to the Prime Minister (portrayed by Anthony Head) on whom Love has a huge crush. A successful live stage show of the series, Little Britain Live, was produced in 2006. A number of seasonal and charity specials followed, up to 2009. A spin-off series produced in the United States by HBO, Little Britain USA, aired in 2008. The characters from Little Britain played by Walliams and Lucas appeared in a 2010 UK television advertising campaign for the Nationwide Building Society. In January 2005 Walliams and Lucas were named the most powerful people in TV comedy by Radio Times.[20]
Their later series was Come Fly with Me, a six-part series airing on BBC One.[21] The first episode was the third most-watched programme of Christmas Day 2010, and the most watched comedy of the year.[22] The duo have not worked or made any public appearances together since early 2011 (although they each make separate cameo appearances in Michael Winterbottom's 2013 film The Look of Love).
Little Britain returned to BBC Radio 4 on 31 October 2019, for a one-off special entitled Little Brexit.[23]
Britain's Got Talent
Since 2012 Walliams has been a judge on the ITV talent show Britain's Got Talent with Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Simon Cowell. In 2015, 2018 and 2019, he was recognised at the National Television Awards as Best Judge[24] for his involvement in the series. His chemistry with Simon Cowell on the show has often been praised.
Writing career
Children's novels
No. | Title | Release date | Illustrator | Pages | Film adaptation release date |
Ave. UK viewers (million)[25] |
Channel | Stage adaptations |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Boy in the Dress | 1 November 2008 | Quentin Blake | 233 | 26 December 2014 | 6.31 | BBC One | 2019 musical |
2 | Mr Stink | 29 October 2009 | 269 | 23 December 2012 | 7.08 | 2012 musical | ||
3 | Billionaire Boy | 28 October 2010 | Tony Ross | 281 | 1 January 2016 | 6.34 | 2018 musical | |
4 | Gangsta Granny | 27 October 2011 | 299 | 26 December 2013 | 7.36 | 2015 play | ||
5 | Ratburger | 19 September 2012 | 319 | 24 December 2017 | 1.01 | Sky One | TBA | |
6 | Demon Dentist | 26 September 2013 | 443 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
7 | Awful Auntie | 25 September 2014 | 413 | TBA | TBA | TBA | 2017 play | |
8 | Grandpa's Great Escape | 24 September 2015 | 461 | 1 January 2018 | 5.78 | BBC One | TBA | |
9 | 3 November 2016 | 478 | 26 December 2018 | N/A | 2018 play | |||
10 | 2 November 2017 | 424 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | ||
11 | 6 November 2018 | 496 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | ||
12 | Fing | 21 February 2019 | 272 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
13 | The Beast of Buckingham Palace | 21 November 2019 | 464 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
14 | Slime | 2 April 2020 | 272 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/David_Walliams_Reading.jpg/190px-David_Walliams_Reading.jpg)
In early 2008 Walliams signed a contract with HarperCollins to publish two children's books.[26] The debut novel, The Boy in the Dress, illustrated by Quentin Blake, was released worldwide on 1 November 2008. It explores several of the themes of Little Britain from Walliams' own life on an emotional level, such as the camp humour of cross-dressing and effeminacy.[10] The story recounts a neglected 12-year-old boy called Dennis' search for a female role model, his friendship with the popular girl in school, and the ways in which relationships develop along gender lines. The story has a strong resonance with Anne Fine's 1989 book Bill's New Frock. This book was adapted into a film for Christmas 2014.[27]
In November 2009 came Mr Stink, again illustrated by Quentin Blake, about a 12-year-old girl who meets a tramp and helps look after him. She keeps him hidden from her family. The book consists of 26 illustrated chapters full of jokes. It is aimed at teenagers and children over 9. It was the last of Walliams books to be illustrated by Quentin Blake. The book was awarded the Children's Award in the inaugural People's Book Prize in 2010,[28] and was made into a 60-minute film, which premiered on BBC One on 23 December 2012.
On 28 October 2010 Walliams published his third book Billionaire Boy, illustrated by Tony Ross,[29][30] telling the story of Joe Spud, the richest 12-year-old in the country. Joe's father is a famous inventor, and his wealth means that Joe has everything he could ever want: his own bowling alley, cinema and a trained orangutan who serves as his butler, but there is just one thing he really needs: a friend.[29] The book included a 'billion pound note' that was used to enter a competition to win a day as a billionaire in London.[citation needed] This was the first of his books to be illustrated by Tony Ross.
Walliams' fourth book, Gangsta Granny was released in October 2011 and again illustrated by Tony Ross. It tells the story of Ben who is bored every time he is made to stay at his grandma's house as all she wants to do is to play board games and eat cabbage soup. Ben learns that she was once an international jewel thief and all her life she has wanted to steal the crown jewels. Ben is determined that they do it together. It won a Red House Children's Book Award[31] and was adapted to be a 70-minute film for BBC One and shown on 26 December 2013.[32]
In September 2012 Walliams released his fifth children's book, Ratburger, telling the story of a young girl named Zoe whose life is a misery as she has an evil stepmother. It was made into a one-off drama for Sky One.[33]
Ratburger was followed in September 2013 by Walliams' sixth book, Demon Dentist, relating the tale of a young boy named Alfie with no family except his dad whose world goes upside-down when a new dentist arrives in town. The book won the top prize in the Younger Readers category at the 2015 Red House Children's Book Awards.[31]
Walliams' seventh children's book, Awful Auntie,[34] was released on 25 September 2014. This was the story of a girl named Stella whose Auntie has moved into her house with her owl, Wagner. It is the first (and currently only) of Walliams' books to not include Raj the newsagent, due to the book being set in the 1930s before Raj was born.
In September 2015 he released Grandpa's Great Escape. The story follows a boy called Jack trying to rescue his Grandpa who suffers from Alzheimer's disease from a care home run by an evil matron. The book was adapted for BBC One, with the script written by Walliams and Kevin Cecil, and starring Tom Courtenay as Grandpa. This book, although set in the 1980s like Awful Auntie is, sees the return of Raj the newsagent. The same year that Grandpa's Great Escape was published, Walliams backed children's fairytales app GivingTales in aid of UNICEF, together with Roger Moore, Stephen Fry, Ewan McGregor, Joan Collins, Joanna Lumley, Michael Caine, Charlotte Rampling and Paul McKenna.[35]
The Midnight Gang was published in November 2016. Bad Dad was published in November 2017. Walliams sold £16.57 million worth of books in 2017.[36] The Ice Monster was published in November 2018. Walliams' latest children's novel, Slime, was published in April 2020.
Picture books
No. | Title | Release date | Illustrator | Pages |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Slightly Annoying Elephant | 7 November 2013 | Tony Ross | 32 |
2 | The First Hippo on the Moon | 20 October 2014 | ||
3 | The Queen's Orang-utan | 26 February 2015 | ||
4 | The Bear Who Went Boo! | 5 November 2015 | ||
5 | There's a Snake in My School! | 19 September 2016 | ||
6 | Boogie Bear | 26 July 2018 | 40 | |
7 | Geronimo | 15 November 2018 | 32 |
Short story collections
No. | Title | Release date | Illustrator | Pages |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 May 2016 | Tony Ross | 268 | |
2 | 25 May 2017 | 286 | ||
3 | 29 May 2018 | 288 | ||
4 | 27 June 2019 | 312 | ||
5 | 2 July 2020 |
Illustrated in colour by Tony Ross, Walliams' three The World's Worst Children short story collections, centered around 'five beastly boys and five gruesome girls', were published in May 2016, May 2017 and May 2018, respectively.
The World's Worst Teachers was published on 27 June.[37][38]
Other work
Theatre
On 26 August 2008 Walliams made his stage debut at the Gate Theatre in Dublin opposite Michael Gambon in Harold Pinter's No Man's Land, in front of an audience that included Pinter himself. The production transferred to London later in the year.
In 2013, he played the part of Bottom in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Noël Coward Theatre opposite Sheridan Smith as Titania.
In July 2014, Walliams appeared on stage with Monty Python during their live show Monty Python Live (Mostly) held at the O2 Arena, London. He was the special guest in their "Blackmail" sketch.[39]
Screenwriting
In addition to his writing credits for his sketch shows and adaptions of his novels, he co-wrote an animated film titled Shadows with filmmaker Edgar Wright for DreamWorks Animation. It was released in 2019.[40]
In 2018, Walliams also starred in the British Airways Safety video, which was conducted in conjunction with Comic Relief for the airlines in house charity. Walliams most notable occasion in the video is the lifejacket instruction. Since then the video has been reworked with a mixture of the previous version; however, Walliams still appears in the new version.
Personal life
In 2007, Walliams' father, Peter, died of an aggressive form of liver cancer.[41]
In 2009, Walliams began dating Dutch model Lara Stone.[42] On 20 January 2010, they got engaged after her parents had given their blessing to the relationship.[43] On 16 May 2010, the couple were married at central London's Claridge's Hotel.[44][45][42] On 6 May 2013, Stone gave birth to the couple's first child, Alfred.[46]
Walliams and Stone lived in the house with recording studio, formerly owned by Noel Gallagher, and known as 'Supernova Heights' in Belsize Park, north London. It was reported on 4 March 2015 that, following five years of marriage, the pair had decided to try a trial separation after "drifting apart".[47] On 9 September 2015, Walliams filed for divorce from Stone, citing "unreasonable behaviour". The couple were granted a decree nisi the next day; the marriage was formally dissolved six weeks after the date of filing.[48]
Walliams hinted at being pansexual in the book Inside Little Britain, but said he did not like to be labelled by that word. In an interview with Radio Times in 2013, he stated: "I think it's all about falling in love with the person and that is overlooked, really. I hate it when people 'confess' or 'reveal' their sexuality and also things can change for people over the years. So it is about the person but I also think it goes beyond that. You don't just fall in love with someone's body, do you? You fall in love with someone's soul and heart and brain."[49]
Walliams has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder,[50] and he described his 2006 swim of the English Channel as "some sort of redemption".[51]
In November 2020, on behalf of GQ magazine, Walliams, a long-time Labour allegiant, interviewed Shaun Bailey, the Conservative candidate for London Mayor, who if elected would be the capital's first Black British mayor.[52]
Charity work
Telethon hosting
Walliams co-hosted a segment of the Sport Relief telethon in 2012, co-hosting the 22:00–22:40 slot with Miranda Hart when the show moved over to BBC Two while the BBC News at Ten was aired.
Walliams also co-hosted the 2014 Sport Relief telethon. This time, he hosted the earlier slot between 19:00–22:00 with Gary Lineker and later Davina McCall.
Swimming the English Channel
On 4 July 2006 Walliams swam the English Channel for Sport Relief.[53][54] It took him 10 hours and 34 minutes to swim the 22-mile (35 km) stretch of sea, equivalent to 700 lengths of an Olympic-size swimming pool. This was wrongly reported as one of the top 50 recorded times for an unaided Channel crossing; in reality Walliams placed 167th at the time of crossing in only the CSA listings, excluding the CSPF listings.[55] He raised over £1 million in donations. Under the supervision of his trainer, he trained for nine months to prepare for the swim.[56] The training had to coincide with Walliams and Lucas's Little Britain Live tour, so he daily had to train for several hours before performing on stage in the evening.
Walliams first swam from Lee-on-the-Solent near Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight in around two hours and also completed an eight-hour swim off the coast of Croatia before embarking on the cross-Channel attempt. Walliams has insisted that prior to his challenge he had never seriously taken part in any sport. The Bluetones' lead singer Mark Morriss wrote a song, "Fade In/Fade Out", in honour of Walliams' achievement; it can be found on their self-titled album, released on 9 October 2006.[citation needed]
Swimming the Strait of Gibraltar
On 7 March 2008 Walliams, along with James Cracknell, swam the 12-mile (19 km) Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco, again for Sport Relief. He successfully completed the swim in just over 4½ hours.[57]
Cycling
In March 2010 Walliams and a group of celebrities cycled an end-to-end journey through the UK, raising over £1 million for Sport Relief. Walliams suffered a serious fall when tackling the Kirkstone Pass, a thousand-foot climb in the Lake District but was able to complete the ride.[58]
24 Hour Panel People
In March 2011 Walliams undertook 24 Hour Panel People, in which he took part in back-to-back recordings of various panel show formats over the course of 24 hours to raise money for Comic Relief. The recordings were streamed live on the BBC website. He took part in 19 episodes of "classic" TV panel shows.
showShow | Show Name | Host | Walliams' role | Other participants & Notes |
---|
Swimming the Thames
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Walliams_after_swim_%286142294516%29.jpg/220px-Walliams_after_swim_%286142294516%29.jpg)
From 5 to 12 September 2011 Walliams swam the length of the River Thames (140 miles [230 km]) and raised more than £2 million for Sport Relief. In the process, he saved a dog from drowning in the river. Once he had got out of the river Walliams said "I think a bath is the only water I will be seeing for a while."[59][60][61] The swim resulted in him getting giardiasis and injuring an intervertebral disc.[62] In late 2013, Walliams had emergency back surgery to alleviate issues caused by the swim.[63]
Controversies
Kim Jong-un Halloween costume
In early November 2017, Walliams caused upset through his dressing as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for Halloween and posting it online. He had shared the photograph on his Twitter account, in costume, wearing a black suit, wig, and artificial prosthetics that appeared to alter his eyelids and hairline. There was an immediate backlash online, many Twitter users branding the outfit "racist" and accusing Walliams of "yellow-face".[64] Others made the point that it was insensitive for Walliams to dress as Kim Jong-un given the North Korean leader's 'appalling' human rights record.[65] Walliams responded to the backlash lightly, constructing a fake text message from Kim Jong-un which he posted to Twitter, reading: "Hi Dave, Loved the Halloween outfit mate! Wet meself laughing. Don't see what all the fuss is about. Kim x. PS Can't wait to read Bad Dad."[66]
Stereotypes and black face
In June 2020, Netflix, Britbox, NOW TV and BBC iPlayer dropped Walliams and Lucas' Little Britain and Come Fly With Me, over the use of blackface and stereotypes to portray black, disabled, working class, transgender, and gay people.[67] In Little Britain, both Walliams and Lucas use make up to portray different races, with Walliams portraying a black health-spa guest called Desiree Devere.[68] Variety Magazine attributed the widespread removal of the series on streaming platforms to heightened awareness in the wake of George Floyd's murder and the resulting Black Lives Matter protests.[69] After the removal, Walliams and Lucas released identical apologies on their Twitter: "[We] have both spoken publicly in recent years of our regret that we played characters of other races. Once again we want to make it clear that it was wrong & we are very sorry.” [70]
Children's books
In July 2020, tweets by author and activist Jack Monroe described Walliams' books as "like Little Britain for kids", with "horrific racism and classism and bodyshaming in a veneer of privileged deniability".[71] Harper Collins issued a response, stating "David Walliams's books have a diverse readership which is reflected in their content".[71]
Filmography
Television
Year | Title | Role | Channel | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | Mash and Peas | Gareth Peas | Paramount Comedy Channel Channel 4 |
9 episodes |
1998 | Sir Bernard's Stately Homes | Anthony Rodgers | BBC Two | 6 episodes |
1998 | Barking | Various roles | Channel 4 | 6 episodes |
1999 | Bang, Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer | Various roles | BBC Two | 5 episodes |
1999–2009 | Rock Profile | Various roles | Play UK BBC Two |
30 episodes |
2000 | The Strangerers | Rats | Sky One | 5 episodes |
2000–02 | Attachments | Jake Plaskow | BBC Two | 1 episode |
2001 | Fun at the Funeral Parlour | Cobra | BBC Choice | 1 episode |
2002 | The Bill | Ben Fletcher | ITV | 1 episode |
2003 | Eastenders | Ray Collins | BBC One | 2 episodes |
2003–08 | Little Britain | Various roles, writer | BBC Three BBC One |
23 episodes |
2004 | Hustle | Shop Assistant – Series 1/Ep 4 | BBC One | 1 episode |
2004 | Agatha Christie's Marple | George Bartlett | ITV | 1 episode |
2005–16 | Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway | Himself, 8 episodes | ITV | 8 episodes |
2010–11 | Come Fly With Me | Various Characters, writer | BBC One | 6 episodes |
2011 | Doctor Who | Gibbis, episode "The God Complex" | 1 episode | |
2012–16 | A League of Their Own | Guest, 8 episodes | Sky One | 11 episodes |
2012– | Britain's Got Talent | Judge | ITV | 145 episodes |
2013–14 | Big School | Mr. Church | BBC One | 12 episodes |
2013 | Blandings | Rupert Baxter, 2 episodes | 2 episodes | |
2015 | Partners in Crime | Thomas "Tommy" Beresford | 6 episodes | |
2015–16 | Walliams and Friend | Various characters, creator, writer | 7 episodes | |
2016 | Blankety Blank | Presenter | ITV | 1 episode |
2017 | The Nightly Show | Guest presenter, 5 episodes | 5 episodes | |
2017– | Teletubbies | Voice Trumpet | CBeebies | Voiceover |
2018 | It'll be Alright on the Night | Narrator | ITV | 2 episodes |
2019 | Britain's Got Talent: The Champions | Judge | 6 episodes | |
2019 | Cinderella: After Ever After | Prince Charming | Sky One | Christmas special |
2020 | The National Television Awards | Presenter | ITV | |
Sandylands | Derek Swallows | Gold | 3 episodes | |
The Jonathan Ross Show | Guest | ITV | 1 episode[72] | |
Jack and the Beanstalk: After Ever After | The Giant | Sky One | Christmas special | |
The Gruffalo and Me: The Remarkable Julia Donaldson | Interviewed Guest | BBC One | One-off special[73] | |
Chitty Flies Again with David Walliams | Presenter | Channel 4 | One-off special | |
2021 | Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway | Himself | ITV | Ant & Dec Present Saturday Knight Takeaway[74] |
The Masked Dancer | Guest Judge | ITV | Series 1 - episode 5 | |
The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan | Guest | Channel 4 | Series 2 - episode 4[75] |
Film
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1999 | Plunkett & Macleane | Viscount Bilston |
2002 | Cruise of the Gods | Jeff 'Lurky' Monks |
2004 | Shaun of the Dead | Voice on TV |
2007 | Run Fatboy Run | Customer in Libby's shop |
Stardust | Sextus | |
2008 | The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | Bulgy Bear (voice) |
Virgin Territory | Cart pusher | |
2010 | Dinner for Schmucks | Müeller |
Marmaduke | Anton Harrison | |
2012 | Great Expectations | Mr. Pumblechook |
2013 | Justin and the Knights of Valour | Melquiades and Karolius (voice) |
2014 | Pudsey: The Movie | Pudsey (voice) |
2019 | Missing Link | Mr. Lemuel Lint (voice) |
Murder Mystery | Tobias Quince | |
2021 | Twist | Losberne |
Awards and honours
Walliams was given a special award in recognition of his sporting efforts for charity. Matt Lucas produced a documentary on the subject, entitled Little Britain's Big Swim. On 6 November 2006, Walliams won the Pride of Britain Award for "The Most Influential Public Figure" as he raised more than £1.5 million swimming the channel for the Sport Relief charity. Although initially tipped as a contender for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year poll for 2006, Walliams failed to make the final shortlist of 10 contenders. Walliams was given a special award during the ceremony for his achievement. In July 2006, he became Patron of 'Cardiac Risk in the Young'.[76]
At the 2012 National Television Awards, Walliams won the 'Landmark Achievement Award', for his television career and achievements for Sport Relief. In December 2012 he won the Specsavers National Book Awards "Children's Book of the Year" for Ratburger.[77] In December 2013 he won the Specsavers National Book Awards "Children's Book of the Year" for Demon Dentist.[78] In December 2014 he won the Specsavers National Book Awards "Children's Book of the Year" for Awful Auntie.[79] Awful Auntie also won the 2014 Specsavers National Book Awards "Audiobook of the Year".[80]
Walliams has won the award for Best TV Judge at the 2015, 2018 and 2019 National Television Awards.[81]
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to charity and the arts.[1] He was invested with the honour by Princess Anne.
Bibliography
Non-fiction
- Inside Little Britain (with Boyd Hilton and Matt Lucas): London: Ebury Press: 2006: ISBN 0-09-191231-8
- Autobiography
- Camp David (2012)
Children's fiction
Novels
The first two novels are illustrated by Quentin Blake, the rest are illustrated by Tony Ross.
- The Boy in the Dress (2008, ISBN 978-0007279036)
- Mr Stink (2009, ISBN 978-0007279050)
- Billionaire Boy (2010, ISBN 978-0007371044)
- Gangsta Granny (2011, ISBN 978-0008147419)
- Ratburger (2012, ISBN 978-0007928798)
- Demon Dentist (2013, ISBN 978-0007453566)
- Awful Auntie (2014, ISBN 978-0007453603)
- Grandpa's Great Escape (2015, ISBN 978-0007494019)
- The Midnight Gang (2016, ISBN 978-0008164614)
- Bad Dad (2017, ISBN 978-0008164652)
- The Ice Monster (2018, ISBN 978-0008164690)
- Fing (2019, ISBN 978-0008349080)
- The Beast of Buckingham Palace (2019, ISBN 978-0008262174)
- Slime (2020, ISBN 978-0008342586)
- Code Name Bananas (2020, ISBN 978-0008305833)
Short story collections
Illustrated by Tony Ross.
- The World's Worst Children (2016, ISBN 978-0008197032)
- The World's Worst Children 2 (2017, ISBN 978-0008259624)
- The World's Worst Children 3 (2018, ISBN 978-0008304591)
- The World's Worst Teachers (2019, ISBN 978-0008364007)
- The World's Worst Parents (2020, ISBN 978-0008305796)
Picture books
- The Slightly Annoying Elephant (2013)
- The First Hippo on the Moon (2014)
- The Queen's Orang-utan (2015, for Comic Relief)
- The Bear Who Went Boo! (2015)
- There's a Snake in My School! (2016)
- Boogie Bear (2018)
- Geronimo (2018)
World Book Day book
- Blob (2017)
References
- ^ Jump up to: a b "No. 61962". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2017. p. B14.
- ^ "David Walliams invites you to journey to the Isle of Mulch in SLIME HarperCollins Children's Books presents the gooiest adventure yet from the UK's biggest-selling author" (Press release). HarperCollins. 13 March 2020.
- ^ "National Television Awards 2015: full list of winners". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ "David Walliams supports Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust – The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust". The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
- ^ "Walliams, David | BookTrust". www.booktrust.org.uk.
- ^ Philip Ardagh, Awful Auntie review – David Walliams's best book yet, The Guardian, 25 September 2014.
- ^ Beverley Turner (6 September 2013). "Why David Walliams really is the new Roald Dahl". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
- ^ Walliams, David (11 October 2012). Camp David. Penguin UK.
- ^ "David Walliams' (BA 1992) swim in river Thames makes a million for charity". Alumni and friends. University of Bristol. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Lee, Sandra (12 October 2008). "Send in the Clown". Sunday Herald Sun. Melbourne. pp. 27–29.
- ^ "David Walliams plays Greville White". BBC. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ^ "Perspectives | Week 17 David Walliams – ITV Press Centre". Itv.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
- ^ "BBC Two – Are You Having a Laugh? TV and Disability". Bbc.co.uk. 21 March 2012.
- ^ "Charley Says". YouTube.
- ^ Walker, Danny (13 March 2015). "Comic Relief 2015: Watch Stephen Hawking TRANSFORM into super-sized robot and blast Catherine Tate's nun". Mirror. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ^ "BBC – Charlotte Moore and Ben Stephenson outline vision for drama on BBC One – Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
- ^ Rachel Babbage (12 September 2015). "Joanna Lumley joins David Walliams' new BBC sketch show". Digital Spy.
- ^ Ling, Thomas (4 October 2019). "David Walliams replaces Dermot O'Leary as NTAs host". Radio Times. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- ^ David Walliams (11 October 2012). Camp David. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 147–. ISBN 978-0-14-197324-1. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
- ^ Methven, Nicola (11 January 2005). "Lucas & Walliams 'funniest'". Daily Mirror. London: Trinity Mirror. OCLC 223228477. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
- ^ "David Walliams and Matt Lucas reunite for new BBC show set in an airport". Daily Telegraph. London. 29 May 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
- ^ "EastEnders wins Christmas Day viewing figures battle". BBC News. 26 December 2010.
- ^ Walliams, David (27 October 2019). "We are back back back! #LittleBrexit is on @BBCRadio4 on Thursday 31st of October at 6:30pm.pic.twitter.com/Opr69XT5Gv". @davidwalliams. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ Awards, National Television. "Winners | National Television Awards". www.nationaltvawards.com. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- ^ "Weekly top 30 programmes | BARB".
- ^ "Walliams plans children's stories". BBC News Online. London. 17 December 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2007.
- ^ "David Walliams' Boy in the Dress to be BBC One film for Christmas 2014 – TV News". Digital Spy. 10 March 2014.
- ^ Neilan, Catherine (10 July 2010). "Walliams among winners for inaugural People's Book Prize". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 25 July 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Sarah Kingsford, Review: Billionaire Boy by David Walliams, Express, 24 October 2010.
- ^ "Billionaire Boy : David Walliams". HarperCollins. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Siobhan Palmer, David Walliams wins prize at Red House Children's Book Awards 2015 The Daily Telegraph, 21 February 2015
- ^ Stephenson, Hannah (4 November 2011). "Walliams Suffering For His Gen Nerous Heart". Daily Post. High Beam. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ^ "David Walliams and Sheridan Smith join forces to bring Ratburger to TV for Christmas".
- ^ Cain, Sian (7 August 2014). "David Walliams announces his new book, Awful Auntie". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ "Roger Moore backs children's fairytales app in aid of Unicef". The Guardian. 18 June 2015.
- ^ Singh, Anita (2018). "David Walliams is biggest selling author of 2017". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- ^ "The World's Worst Teachers". Scholastic Shop. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "David Walliams targets teachers with new short story collection | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
- ^ "'Monty Python Live (mostly) – One Down Five to Go' – Celebrity Blackmail". Monty Python.com. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ^ White, James (20 July 2016). "Shrek 5 and Edgar Wright's Shadows on track to arrive in 2019".
- ^ "Walliams father loses battle with cancer". Irish Examiner. 5 January 2008.
- ^ Jump up to: a b It's over: Lara Stone and David Walliams finalise separation, The Telegraph
- ^ "David Walliams to marry model Lara Stone". BBC News Online. London. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ The couple split in March 2015
- ^ "David Walliams marries Dutch model Lara Stone". BBC News Online. London. 17 May 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
- ^ "BEST EXCLUSIVE! David Walliams reveals his new baby son's name to Best – Showbiz News". Best Daily. 5 June 2013. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ "Lara Stone and David Walliams 'split after five years of marriage'". telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015.
- ^ Strang, Fay (10 September 2015). "David Walliams and Lara Stone's marriage over in 60-second divorce". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
- ^ Dowell, Ben (5 August 2013). "David Walliams – a schoolboy misfit who was nicknamed Cuthbert". Radio Times. London. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- ^ Mills, Simon (2 September 2011). "David Walliams: In at the deep end". ES Magazine. London. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ^ Hastings, Chris (21 February 2009). "Comic Walliams speaks of depression battle". Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
- ^ Walliams, David (10 November 2020). "David Walliams meets London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey". GQ. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "BBC SPORT Watch Walliams' Channel swim". BBC News. 4 July 2006. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ Naughton, Philippe (4 July 2006). "Little Britain star swims the Channel". The Times. London.
- ^ "Channel Swimming Association Ltd". Channelswimmingassociation.com. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ "Desert Island Discs with David Walliams". Desert Island Discs. 27 February 2009. BBC Radio 4.
- ^ "BBC SPORT – Walliams completes swim to Africa". BBC News. 7 March 2008. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ "Sport Relief – Million Pound Bike Ride". Retrieved 20 September 2010.
- ^ "BBC News – David Walliams takes on Sport Relief Thames swim challenge". BBC. 30 August 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ "Walliams vs The Thames: David Walliams' 140 mile River Thames Sport Relief Swim". Littlebritainfans.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ "David Walliams Completes 140-Mile River Thames Swim Challenge For Sport Relief Charity". Sky News. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
- ^ "David Walliams on his Big Swim for Sport Relief". Radio Times. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ^ "David Walliams cancels rest of 2012 schedule to have back surgery". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
- ^ "David Walliams responds to backlash over 'racist' Halloween costume". The Independent. 3 November 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "David Walliams sparks outrage with 'racist' Halloween costume". The Independent. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ Moore, Sam (3 November 2017). "David Walliams responds to backlash over 'racist' Kim Jong-un Halloween costume". NME. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "Little Britain pulled from iPlayer and Netflix because 'times have changed'". BBC News. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ Nicholson, Tom (11 June 2020). "How Did It Take This Long To Put 'Little Britain' In The Bin?". Esquire. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ Dams, Tim (9 June 2020). "'Little Britain' Removed by Netflix, BBC iPlayer and BritBox Amid Blackface Concerns". Variety. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ Ravindran, Manori (13 June 2020). "'Little Britain' Creators Apologize After Netflix, BBC Pull Show Over Blackface Concerns". Variety. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "David Walliams accused of fatshaming and classism in children's books". The Independent. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.; Bradley, Jane (6 July 2020). "David Walliams under fire for children's books dubbed 'Little Britain for kids'". The Scotsman. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
- ^ "The Jonathan Ross Show". itv.com. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
- ^ "The Gruffalo and Me: The Remarkable Julia Donaldson". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ "Ant & Dec Present Saturday Knight Takeaway". itv.com. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
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- ^ "David Walliams launches Heart Screening Partnership with Philips and Cardiac Risk in the Young". C R Y.org. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ^ Alison Flood (5 December 2012). "EL James comes out on top at National Book awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ "Neil Gaiman Wins Specsavers Book of the Year 2013!". nationalbookawards.co.uk. 26 December 2013. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
- ^ Alison Flood (27 November 2014). "David Nicholls and David Walliams win top prizes at National Book Awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ "Mary Berry wins outstanding achievement book award". BBC News. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ Reporters, Telegraph (22 January 2015). "National Television Awards 2015: full list of winners". Telegraph.co.uk.
External links
- David Walliams at IMDb
- David Walliams at British Comedy Guide
- David Walliams
- 1971 births
- Living people
- 20th-century English comedians
- 21st-century English comedians
- 20th-century English male actors
- 21st-century English male actors
- 21st-century English novelists
- Alumni of the University of Bristol
- English autobiographers
- English children's writers
- English Channel swimmers
- English male comedians
- English comedy writers
- English male film actors
- English radio writers
- English male soap opera actors
- English male stage actors
- English male television actors
- English television personalities
- English television producers
- English television writers
- English male voice actors
- Labour Party (UK) people
- Little Britain
- Male long-distance swimmers
- People educated at Reigate Grammar School
- People with bipolar disorder
- National Youth Theatre members
- People from Banstead
- British sketch comedians
- Best Comedy Performance BAFTA Award (television) winners
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- British male comedy actors
- British male television writers
- 21st-century British screenwriters