David Walliams
Encyclopedia
David Edward Walliams is an English comedian
, writer and actor, known for his partnership with Matt Lucas
on the TV sketch show Little Britain
and its predecessor Rock Profile
. More recently he and Lucas wrote and starred in Come Fly with Me
.
on 20 August 1971 to Peter, a London Transport
engineer, and Kathleen Williams, a lab technician, Williams was brought up in Banstead
. His parents appeared on The Friday Night Project
when he was the guest star on the show. He was educated at Collingwood Boys' School in Wallington (now Collingwood School) and the independent Reigate Grammar School
(where he was a contemporary of Robert Shearman). He was a member of the National Youth Theatre
, where he met Matt Lucas. Williams studied drama at the University of Bristol
from 1989 to 1992, one year below Simon Pegg
.
Williams changed his name to Walliams (icon) when he joined the actors' trade union Equity
, as there was already a member named David Williams. This was spoofed in a mock interview on Rock Profile, when Robbie Williams
was continuously referred to as 'Robbie Walliams'.
in 1993. He appeared alongside Alex Verrey, who played Big Boy Barry, every Tuesday evening. He went on to be "The Lift" on the first series of the CBBC
gameshow Incredible Games
in 1994. In 1998 he wrote and starred in Barking (TV series)
, a late night sketch show broadcast on Channel 4 and featuring a host of, back then, unknown stars such as Catherine Tate
, Peter Kay
and Mackenzie Crook
. He appeared with The League of Gentlemen
s Mark Gatiss
, who wrote and appeared in Doctor Who parodies
The Pitch of Fear, The Web of Caves and The Kidnappers for BBC2
's "Doctor Who Night" in 1999. He later performed in the Big Finish Productions
Doctor Who audio play Phantasmagoria
, written by Gatiss.
Walliams appeared with Matt Lucas in the video of the Fat Les
song Vindaloo (the unofficial anthem for the England national football team
at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
) and had a cameo role in a 1999 episode of Simon Pegg
's Spaced
(1x3 "Art") as Vulva, an artist/collaborator from Brian's past and now a self-proclaimed artist of impressionism.
In 2000, he played Jake Plaskow in the BBC
's Attachments
, set in an internet start-up company. In 2001 he was one of the leads in Cruise of the Gods
. In 2003 he appeared in EastEnders
and Marple
.
From 2003 to 2005 Walliams co-wrote and co-starred in three series of the BBC TV character sketch show Little Britain
with Matt Lucas, which first aired on BBC3 before moving to the more mainstream BBC1. 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 USA by HBO, Little Britain USA
, followed in 2008, a second series of which is due to air in 2010.
In 2005 Walliams starred in the video for Charlotte Hatherley
's single Bastardo along with Simon Pegg
, Lucy Davis
and Lauren Laverne
. In 2006 he made an appearance in the film A Cock and Bull Story
. Later in the year he presented a documentary on James Bond
, entitled David Walliams: My Life with James Bond. In 2007 he returned to non-comedic television, garnering excellent reviews for his portrayal of a suave and dangerous manipulator in Stephen Poliakoff
's Capturing Mary
as well as appearing in the film Virgin Territory
. In September 2007, Walliams appeared in the comedy film Run, Fat Boy, Run. Walliams portrayed comedian Frankie Howerd
in the BBC4 TV film Rather You Than Me. On 26 August 2008 he 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 2010, Walliams appeared alongside Paul Rudd
and Steve Carell
in the comedy Dinner for Schmucks
.
Walliams has also appeared in Series 7, Episode 6 of the BBC 2 show Top Gear.
He also plays the mole-like alien, Gibbis, in the eleventh episode of the sixth series of Doctor Who
entitled "The God Complex
".
Early 2011 he hosted new panel show Wall of Fame on Sky 1.
He will star as Uncle Pumblechook in Great Expectations.
It has been rumoured that Walliams is set to become a judge on series six of Britain's Got Talent
.
both worked on Vic and Bob
's series Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer
in the late 1990s, playing minor roles in sketches such as The Club. Walliams and Lucas played grotesque caricature
s 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 (see above). They also had small roles in Plunkett and Maclaine as prisoners.
They have 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. 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.
The characters from Little Britain played by Walliams and Lucas appeared in a 2010 UK television advertising campaign for the Nationwide Building Society
.
Their latest series is Come Fly with Me
, a six-part series airing on BBC One. The first episode was the third most watched programme of Christmas Day 2010, and the most watched comedy of the year.
for the charity Sport Relief
(part of Comic Relief). He took 10 hours and 34 minutes to swim the 35 km (21.7 mi) stretch of sea, the equivalent of 700 lengths of an Olympic standard 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. He raised over £
1 million in donations. Under the supervision of his trainer, he trained for nine months to prepare for the swim. The training had to coincide with Walliams and Lucas's Little Britain Live
tour, so every day he had to complete several hours of training before performing on stage in the evening. Walliams first swam from Lee-on-the-Solent
near Portsmouth
to the Isle Of Wight
in around 2 hours and he 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.
, swam the 12 miles (19.3 km) Strait of Gibraltar
from Spain to Morocco
, again for Sport Relief. He successfully completed the swim in just over 4 1/2 hours.
, a thousand-foot climb in the Lake District
, but was able to complete the ride.
. The recordings were streamed live on the BBC website. The shows featured included Would I Lie To You?, 8 Out of 10 Cats
, Just a Minute
, It's Only TV...But I Like It
, Whose Line Is It Anyway?
The Generation Game
, Through the Keyhole
, Blankety Blank
, Mock the Week
, Argumental
, Celebrity Juice
, QI
, Mastermind
, Have I Got News For You
, Call My Bluff, and Never Mind the Buzzcocks
.
in aid of Sport Relief
. Starting on 5 September at Lechlade-on-Thames Walliams swam the 140 mile swimmable length of the 215 mile river completing his challenge on 12 September 2011 reaching Westminster Bridge
. On the first day of the swim, he experienced a symptom of hypothermia
, possibly due to him not wearing a wetsuit
. He later encountered severe stomach problems due to the bacteria in the Thames and suffered a torn disc. He swam up to twelve hours each day.
During his swim, Walliams rescued a dog that had slipped loose from its owner and jumped in the water to join him. The Labrador dog got into difficulties on returning to the riverbank due to a hip condition and was lifted out of the water by Walliams. Animal rights group PETA
declared they would award him an honour.
Upon finishing his eight-day swim he found out he made over one million pounds for Sport Relief.
to publish two children's books. 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
. The story recounts a neglected 12-year-old boy's 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
..
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. The book was awarded the Children's Award in the inaugural Peoples Book Prize in 2010.
On 28 October 2010 he published his third book Billionaire Boy, illustrated by Tony Ross
. It tells the story of Joe Spud, the richest 12-year-old in the world. Joe has everything he could ever want: his own Formula One
racing car, a thousand pairs of trainers, 8 billion pounds, even an orang-utan for a butler, but there is just one thing he really needs: a friend. The book included a 'billion pound note' that was used to enter a competition to win a day as a billionaire in London.
His 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. But Ben finds out she was once an international jewel thief and all her life, she has been plotting to steal the crown jewels, and wants Ben to help.
in recognition of his sporting efforts for charity. Matt Lucas made a documentary of this, entitled Little Britain's Big Swim, which is on the Little Britain Live
DVD. On 6 November 2006 he won The Mirrors "Pride of Britain" Award for the Most Influential Public Figure as he raised more than £1 million swimming the channel for the charity Sport Relief. Although initially tipped as a contender for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year poll for 2006, he 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 (CRY), a charity.
. On 20 January 2010, it became known that they were engaged. Walliams proposed to Stone in Los Angeles, after her parents gave their blessing to the relationship. On 16 May 2010 the couple were married at central London's Claridge's
hotel.
He has previously been romantically linked to Patsy Kensit
, Abi Titmuss
, Emily Scott
and model Lauren Budd.
Walliams suffers from Depression
, and described his 2006 swim of the English Channel as "some sort of redemption".
He admitted to going through periods of intense self-loathing and suffered a serious depressive episode and was unable to sleep properly for nine months until he sought professional help.
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, writer and actor, known for his partnership with Matt Lucas
Matt Lucas
Matthew Richard "Matt" Lucas is an English comedian, screenwriter and actor best known for his acclaimed work with David Walliams in the television show Little Britain; as well as for his portrayals of the scorekeeping baby George Dawes in the comedy panel game Shooting Stars, Tweedledee and...
on the TV sketch show Little Britain
Little Britain
Little Britain is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas...
and its predecessor Rock Profile
Rock Profile
Rock Profile is a British television comedy show written by and starring comedy partnership Matt Lucas and David Walliams, both now widely known for the sketch show Little Britain. Rock Profile first appeared on the channel UK Play in 1999, before moving to BBC Two in 2000...
. More recently he and Lucas wrote and starred in Come Fly with Me
Come Fly with Me (2010 TV series)
Come Fly with Me is a British mockumentary television comedy series created by and starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams. Narrated by Lindsay Duncan, the series launched on 25 December 2010 on BBC One and BBC One HD...
.
Early life
Born in Nork, SurreyNork, Surrey
Nork is a residential area of the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It is located between Banstead and Epsom Downs. The main road through the area from north to south-west is Nork Way, along which a parade of shops is located at the northern end.The buildings in the area are...
on 20 August 1971 to Peter, a London Transport
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
engineer, and Kathleen Williams, a lab technician, Williams was brought up in Banstead
Banstead
Banstead is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in the county of Surrey, England, on the border with Greater London. It lies south of London, west of Croydon and of the county town of Kingston-Upon-Thames. Banstead is on the North Downs and is protected by the Metropolitan Green Belt;...
. His parents appeared on The Friday Night Project
The Friday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project was a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title The Friday Night Project...
when he was the guest star on the show. He was educated at Collingwood Boys' School in Wallington (now Collingwood School) and the independent Reigate Grammar School
Reigate Grammar School
Reigate Grammar School is an independent co-educational day school located in the town of Reigate, Surrey, United Kingdom. Intake is from 11 to 18, with the majority of its pupils entering at the age of 11, and others entering at 13 and 16.- History :...
(where he was a contemporary of Robert Shearman). He was a member of the National Youth Theatre
National Youth Theatre
The National Youth Theatre is a registered charity in London, Great Britain, committed to creative, personal and social development of young people through the medium of creative arts....
, where he met Matt Lucas. Williams studied drama at the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
from 1989 to 1992, one year below Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg is an English actor, comedian, writer, film producer, and director. He is best known for having co-written and stared in various Edgar Wright features, mainly Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the comedy series Spaced.He also portrayed Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the 2009 Star Trek film...
.
Williams changed his name to Walliams (icon) when he joined the actors' trade union Equity
British Actors' Equity Association
Equity is the trade union for actors, stage managers and models in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1930 by a group of West End performers....
, as there was already a member named David Williams. This was spoofed in a mock interview on Rock Profile, when Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
was continuously referred to as 'Robbie Walliams'.
Television and film career
His first known TV appearance was as "Lesley Luncheonmeat" on Sky1's show Games WorldGames World
Games World was a British computer games-based television programme, made by Hewland International and broadcast on Sky One each weekday from 1993-98...
in 1993. He appeared alongside Alex Verrey, who played Big Boy Barry, every Tuesday evening. He went on to be "The Lift" on the first series of the CBBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
gameshow Incredible Games
Incredible Games
Incredible Games was a popular children's game show which was broadcast between 6 February 1994 and 28 March 1995 and aired on BBC1. It included a variety of games, performed by contestants between the ages of 10 and 13...
in 1994. In 1998 he wrote and starred in Barking (TV series)
Barking (TV series)
Barking is a late night sketch comedy show broadcast on Channel 4 in 1998, starring Mackenzie Crook, David Walliams, Omid Djalili, Peter Kay, Dave Lamb, Rhys Thomas, Catherine Tate and Marcus Brigstocke...
, a late night sketch show broadcast on Channel 4 and featuring a host of, back then, unknown stars such as Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate is an English actress, writer, and comedian. She has won numerous awards for her work on the sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and four BAFTA Awards...
, Peter Kay
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay is an English comedian, writer, actor, director and producer. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing , Phoenix Nights , Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere , Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and other independent productions which have included two sell out tours.-Early career:Peter Kay...
and Mackenzie Crook
Mackenzie Crook
Paul Mackenzie Crook is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Gareth Keenan in The Office and Ragetti in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.-Life and career:...
. He appeared with The League of Gentlemen
The League of Gentlemen (comedy)
The League of Gentlemen are a quartet of British dark comedy writers/performers, formed in 1995 by Jeremy Dyson, Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith...
s Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss is an English actor, screenwriter and novelist. He is best known as a member of the comedy team The League of Gentlemen, and has both written for and acted in the TV series Doctor Who and Sherlock....
, who wrote and appeared in Doctor Who parodies
Doctor Who spoofs
The long running science fiction television series Doctor Who has over the years been the subject of many comedy sketches and specially made comedy programmes, from Spike Milligan's "Pakistani Dalek" to the Comic Relief episode Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death...
The Pitch of Fear, The Web of Caves and The Kidnappers for BBC2
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
's "Doctor Who Night" in 1999. He later performed in the Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
Doctor Who audio play Phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria (Doctor Who audio)
Phantasmagoria is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The story was written by Mark Gatiss and stars Peter Davison and Mark Strickson...
, written by Gatiss.
Walliams appeared with Matt Lucas in the video of the Fat Les
Fat Les
Fat Les is a British band consisting of Alex James from Blur, actor Keith Allen and artist Damien Hirst. Vocals on their singles were provided by Keith Allen , Alex James , Lily Allen , Andy Kane , Lisa Moorish and Michael Barrymore .Fat Les created the...
song Vindaloo (the unofficial anthem for the England national football team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
) and had a cameo role in a 1999 episode of Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg is an English actor, comedian, writer, film producer, and director. He is best known for having co-written and stared in various Edgar Wright features, mainly Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the comedy series Spaced.He also portrayed Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the 2009 Star Trek film...
's Spaced
Spaced
Spaced is a British television sitcom written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright. It is noted for its rapid-fire editing, frequent pop culture references and jokes, eclectic music, and occasional displays of surrealism and non-sequitur humour...
(1x3 "Art") as Vulva, an artist/collaborator from Brian's past and now a self-proclaimed artist of impressionism.
In 2000, he played Jake Plaskow in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Attachments
Attachments (TV series)
Attachments is a BBC TV Series that ran for two seasons from 2000 to 2002, a total of 26 episodes. It focuses on a group of young professionals in London that work for an Internet startup company called "seethru" during the dot com boom...
, set in an internet start-up company. In 2001 he was one of the leads in Cruise of the Gods
Cruise of the Gods
Cruise of the Gods was a one-off comedy/drama produced by Baby Cow Productions for the BBC. It starred Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan, David Walliams and James Corden...
. In 2003 he appeared in EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
and Marple
Marple (TV series)
Marple is a British television series based on the Miss Marple and other murder mystery novels by Agatha Christie. It is also known as Agatha Christie's Marple. The title character was played by Geraldine McEwan from the first to third series, until her retirement from the role. She was replaced...
.
From 2003 to 2005 Walliams co-wrote and co-starred in three series of the BBC TV character sketch show Little Britain
Little Britain
Little Britain is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas...
with Matt Lucas, which first aired on BBC3 before moving to the more mainstream BBC1. A successful live stage show of the series, Little Britain Live
Little Britain Live
Little Britain Live is a stage show based on the TV sketch series Little Britain, performed by its stars, Matt Lucas and David Walliams, and directed by Jeremy Sams. Supporting characters are played by Paul Putner and Samantha Power . As in the TV show, Tom Baker is the narrator, although his lines...
, was produced in 2006. A number of seasonal and charity specials followed, up to 2009. A spin-off series produced in the USA by HBO, Little Britain USA
Little Britain USA
Little Britain USA, an American television series, originated as a spin-off of the British BBC's Little Britain show.As in the British series, Matt Lucas and David Walliams play the majority of the characters: originals such as Lou and Andy, Daffyd Thomas,Sebastian Love, Marjorie Dawes and Vicky...
, followed in 2008, a second series of which is due to air in 2010.
In 2005 Walliams starred in the video for Charlotte Hatherley
Charlotte Hatherley
Charlotte Franklin Hatherley is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. She initially came to prominence as guitarist and backing vocalist for alternative rock band Ash. Since departing Ash in 2006, she has found success as a solo artist...
's single Bastardo along with Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg is an English actor, comedian, writer, film producer, and director. He is best known for having co-written and stared in various Edgar Wright features, mainly Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the comedy series Spaced.He also portrayed Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the 2009 Star Trek film...
, Lucy Davis
Lucy Davis
Lucy Clare Davis is an English actress. She is best known for playing the character Dawn Tinsley in the BBC comedy The Office and as Dianne in the horror-comedy movie Shaun of the Dead.-Career:...
and Lauren Laverne
Lauren Laverne
Lauren Cecilia Fisher , known professionally as Lauren Laverne, is an English radio DJ, television presenter, author and singer...
. In 2006 he made an appearance in the film A Cock and Bull Story
A Cock and Bull Story
A Cock and Bull Story is a 2006 British comedy film directed by Michael Winterbottom...
. Later in the year he presented a documentary on James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
, entitled David Walliams: My Life with James Bond. In 2007 he returned to non-comedic television, garnering excellent reviews for his portrayal of a suave and dangerous manipulator in Stephen Poliakoff
Stephen Poliakoff
Stephen Poliakoff, CBE, FRSL is an acclaimed British playwright, director and scriptwriter, widely judged amongst Britain's foremost television dramatists.-Early life and career:...
's Capturing Mary
Capturing Mary
Capturing Mary is a BBC television drama , written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff. It was aired on BBC Two on 12 November 2007...
as well as appearing in the film Virgin Territory
Virgin Territory
Virgin Territory is a 2007 romantic comedy film based upon Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron. It has also been known under the working titles The Decameron, Angels and Virgins, Guilty Pleasures and Chasing Temptation. The film's Italian title Decameron Pie pays tribute to both the title of the...
. In September 2007, Walliams appeared in the comedy film Run, Fat Boy, Run. Walliams portrayed comedian Frankie Howerd
Frankie Howerd
Francis Alick "Frankie" Howerd OBE was an English comedian and comic actor whose career, described by fellow comedian Barry Cryer as "a series of comebacks", spanned six decades.-Early career:...
in the BBC4 TV film Rather You Than Me. On 26 August 2008 he made his stage debut at the Gate Theatre
Gate Theatre
The Gate Theatre, in Dublin, was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál Mac Liammóir, initially using the Abbey Theatre's Peacock studio theatre space to stage important works by European and American dramatists...
in Dublin opposite Michael Gambon
Michael Gambon
Sir Michael John Gambon, CBE is an Irish actor who has worked in theatre, television and film. A highly respected theatre actor, Gambon is recognised for his roles as Philip Marlowe in the BBC television serial The Singing Detective, as Jules Maigret in the 1990s ITV serial Maigret, and as...
in Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
's No Man's Land
No Man's Land (play)
No Man's Land is a play by Harold Pinter written in 1974 and first produced and published in 1975. Its original production was at the Old Vic Theatre in London by the National Theatre on 23 April 1975, and it later transferred to Wyndhams Theatre, July 1975 - January 1976, the Lyttelton Theatre...
, in front of an audience that included Pinter himself. The production transferred to London later in the year. In 2010, Walliams appeared alongside Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd
Paul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
and Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
in the comedy Dinner for Schmucks
Dinner for Schmucks
Dinner for Schmucks, a 2010 screwball comedy film, is the American adaptation of the French film Le Dîner de Cons , being described by the director as "inspired by" the original rather than a remake of it...
.
Walliams has also appeared in Series 7, Episode 6 of the BBC 2 show Top Gear.
He also plays the mole-like alien, Gibbis, in the eleventh episode of the sixth series of Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
entitled "The God Complex
The God Complex
"The God Complex" is the eleventh episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One, BBC America and Space on 17 September 2011.-Plot summary:...
".
Early 2011 he hosted new panel show Wall of Fame on Sky 1.
He will star as Uncle Pumblechook in Great Expectations.
It has been rumoured that Walliams is set to become a judge on series six of Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
.
Walliams and Lucas
Walliams and Matt LucasMatt Lucas
Matthew Richard "Matt" Lucas is an English comedian, screenwriter and actor best known for his acclaimed work with David Walliams in the television show Little Britain; as well as for his portrayals of the scorekeeping baby George Dawes in the comedy panel game Shooting Stars, Tweedledee and...
both worked on Vic and Bob
Vic and Bob
Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer , more commonly known simply as Vic and Bob or Reeves and Mortimer, are a British comedy double act...
's series Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer
Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer
Bang Bang, It's Reeves and Mortimer was comedy double act Vic & Bob's third television sketch show. It aired during January 1999 on BBC2 in the United Kingdom...
in the late 1990s, playing minor roles in sketches such as The Club. Walliams and Lucas played grotesque caricature
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
s of various rock musicians in the series Rock Profile
Rock Profile
Rock Profile is a British television comedy show written by and starring comedy partnership Matt Lucas and David Walliams, both now widely known for the sketch show Little Britain. Rock Profile first appeared on the channel UK Play in 1999, before moving to BBC Two in 2000...
and in the spoof
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
series Sir Bernard's Stately Homes
Sir Bernard's Stately Homes
Sir Bernard's Stately Homes was a series of British TV comedy series first shown in 1998 on BBC Two and later re-run on Play UK. Only six 10 minute programmes were produced, all written by and starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams. It bore many similarities to the more well-known Rock Profile...
. 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 (see above). They also had small roles in Plunkett and Maclaine as prisoners.
They have appeared together in a music video for the Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
single "I'm with Stupid", in which the two are apparently auditioning their version of the song's video for Neil Tennant
Neil Tennant
Neil Francis Tennant is an English musician, singer and songwriter, who, with bandmate Chris Lowe, makes up the successful electronic dance music duo Pet Shop Boys.-Childhood:...
and Chris Lowe
Chris Lowe
Chris Lowe is an English musician, who, with colleague Neil Tennant, makes up the pop duo Pet Shop Boys.-Childhood:...
, who are tied up and appear to be hostages.
The pair are best known for Little Britain
Little Britain
Little Britain is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas...
, which ran from 2003 to 2009 on the BBC in the UK and from 2008 onwards on HBO in the USA. Among the characters Walliams played were Emily Howard
Emily Howard
Emily Howard is a British composer from Liverpool.As a child Howard learned to play chess Emily Howard (born 1979) is a British composer from Liverpool.As a child Howard learned to play chess Emily Howard (born 1979) is a British composer from Liverpool.As a child Howard learned to play chess...
, a deluded "transvestite
Transvestism
Transvestism is the practice of cross-dressing, which is wearing clothing traditionally associated with the opposite sex. Transvestite refers to a person who cross-dresses; however, the word often has additional connotations. -History:Although the word transvestism was coined as late as the 1910s,...
", Ray McCooney, an insane Scottish hotel owner, and Sebastian Love, an aide de camp to the Prime Minister (portrayed by Anthony Head
Anthony Head
Anthony Stewart Head , usually credited as Anthony Head, is an English actor and musician. He rose to fame in the UK following his role in television advertisements for Nescafé Gold Blend , and is known for his roles as Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and as Uther Pendragon in...
) on whom Love has a huge crush.
The characters from Little Britain played by Walliams and Lucas appeared in a 2010 UK television advertising campaign for the Nationwide Building Society
Nationwide Building Society
Nationwide Building Society is a British building society, and is the largest in the world. It has its headquarters in Swindon, England, and maintains significant administration centres in Bournemouth and Northampton...
.
Their latest series is Come Fly with Me
Come Fly with Me (2010 TV series)
Come Fly with Me is a British mockumentary television comedy series created by and starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams. Narrated by Lindsay Duncan, the series launched on 25 December 2010 on BBC One and BBC One HD...
, a six-part series airing on BBC One. The first episode was the third most watched programme of Christmas Day 2010, and the most watched comedy of the year.
Swimming the English Channel
Walliams took up swimming as a youth as his preferred form of exercise, because he was overweight. On 4 July 2006 he swam the English ChannelEnglish Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
for the charity Sport Relief
Sport Relief
Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world's poorest countries...
(part of Comic Relief). He took 10 hours and 34 minutes to swim the 35 km (21.7 mi) stretch of sea, the equivalent of 700 lengths of an Olympic standard 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. He raised over £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
1 million in donations. Under the supervision of his trainer, he trained for nine months to prepare for the swim. The training had to coincide with Walliams and Lucas's Little Britain Live
Little Britain Live
Little Britain Live is a stage show based on the TV sketch series Little Britain, performed by its stars, Matt Lucas and David Walliams, and directed by Jeremy Sams. Supporting characters are played by Paul Putner and Samantha Power . As in the TV show, Tom Baker is the narrator, although his lines...
tour, so every day he had to complete several hours of training before performing on stage in the evening. Walliams first swam from Lee-on-the-Solent
Lee-on-the-Solent
Lee-on-the-Solent, often referred to as Lee-on-Solent, is a small seaside town in Hampshire, England about five miles west of Portsmouth. The town is located on the coast of the Solent and forms part of the borough of Gosport...
near Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
to the Isle Of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
in around 2 hours and he also completed an eight-hour swim off the coast of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
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
The Bluetones
The Bluetones were an English indie rock band, formed in Hounslow, Greater London, in 1993. The band's members were Mark Morriss on vocals, Adam Devlin on guitar, Scott Morriss on bass guitar, and Eds Chesters on drums. A fifth member, Richard Payne, came on board between 1998 and 2002...
' lead singer Mark Morriss
Mark Morriss
Mark James Morriss is an English singer-songwriter. He is the lead singer for The Bluetones, and is the older brother of bandmate Scott Morriss. He is also pursuing a solo career....
wrote a song, "Fade In/Fade Out", in honour of Walliams' achievement; it can be found on their self-titled album
The Bluetones (album)
The Bluetones is the fifth album by The Bluetones. It was released on October 9, 2006 on Cooking Vinyl.The album sees the band reunite with producer Hugh Jones, who was at the controls for the band's first two albums, Expecting to Fly and Return To The Last Chance Saloon...
, released on 9 October 2006.
Swimming the Strait of Gibraltar
On 7 March 2008, Walliams, along with James CracknellJames Cracknell
James Cracknell, OBE is a British rowing champion and double Olympic gold medalist and adventurer. Cracknell is married to TV and radio presenter Beverley Turner; they have three children. In the New Year Honours List, 2004, he was appointed OBE for services to sport...
, swam the 12 miles (19.3 km) Strait of Gibraltar
Strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa. The name comes from Gibraltar, which in turn originates from the Arabic Jebel Tariq , albeit the Arab name for the Strait is Bab el-Zakat or...
from Spain to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, again for Sport Relief. He successfully completed the swim in just over 4 1/2 hours.
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 Kirkstone PassKirkstone Pass
Kirkstone Pass is a mountain pass in the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. It is at an altitude of .This is the Lake District's highest pass that is open to motor traffic and it connects Ambleside in the Rothay Valley to Patterdale in the Ullswater Valley - the A592 road. In places,...
, a thousand-foot climb in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, but was able to complete the ride.
24 Hour Panel People
In March 2011, he 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 ReliefComic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
. The recordings were streamed live on the BBC website. The shows featured included Would I Lie To You?, 8 Out of 10 Cats
8 Out of 10 Cats
8 out of 10 Cats is a television comedy panel game made by Zeppotron for Channel 4. It was first broadcast on 3 June 2005. The show is based on statistics and opinion polls, and draws on polls produced by a variety of organizations and new polls commissioned for the programme, carried out by...
, Just a Minute
Just a Minute
Just a Minute is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game chaired by Nicholas Parsons. Its first transmission on Radio 4 was on 22 December 1967, three months after the station's launch. The Radio 4 programme won a Gold Sony Radio Academy Award in 2003....
, It's Only TV...But I Like It
It's Only TV...But I Like It
It's Only TV... But I Like It was a comedy celebrity panel gameshow about television. It originally aired on BBC 2 from 3rd June 1999- 23rd August 2002...
, Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Whose Line Is It Anyway? is a short-form improvisational comedy TV show. Originally a British radio programme, it moved to television in 1988 as a series made for the UK's Channel 4, for a 10 series run...
The Generation Game
The Generation Game
The Generation Game was a British gameshow produced by the BBC in which four teams of two competed to win prizes...
, Through the Keyhole
Through the Keyhole
Through the Keyhole was a British panel game, hosted by Sir David Frost where panellists are given a video tour of a mystery famous guest's property and attempt to identify them. As of 1996, it is produced by David Frost's own production company, Paradine Productions at The Leeds Studios , and has...
, Blankety Blank
Blankety Blank
Blankety Blank is a British comedy game show based on the 1977–1978 Australian game show Blankety Blanks ....
, Mock the Week
Mock the Week
Mock the Week is a British topical celebrity panel game hosted by Dara Ó Briain that launched in 2005. The game is influenced by improvised topical stand-up comedy, with several rounds requiring players to deliver answers on unexpected subjects on the spur of the moment.It is made by independent...
, Argumental
Argumental
Argumental is a British improvised comedy panel game in which two teams captained by Robert Webb and Seann Walsh debate and argue on various topics. Sean Lock hosts the game. It is made by independent production company Tiger Aspect Productions for Dave and made its debut on 27 October 2008...
, Celebrity Juice
Celebrity Juice
Celebrity Juice is a British television comedy panel game show on ITV2 that has been airing since 24 September, 2008. The show is presented by Keith Lemon, with regular captains Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, alongside regular panellist Rufus Hound...
, QI
QI
QI is a British comedy panel game television quiz show created and co-produced by John Lloyd, hosted by Stephen Fry, and featuring permanent panellist Alan Davies. Most of the questions are extremely obscure, making it unlikely that the correct answer will be given...
, Mastermind
Mastermind (TV series)
Mastermind is a British quiz show, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness.Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed — four and in later contests five contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the...
, Have I Got News For You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
, Call My Bluff, and Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
.
Swimming the Thames
On 4 February 2011, Walliams announced that he would be swimming a 140 mile length of the River ThamesRiver Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
in aid of Sport Relief
Sport Relief
Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world's poorest countries...
. Starting on 5 September at Lechlade-on-Thames Walliams swam the 140 mile swimmable length of the 215 mile river completing his challenge on 12 September 2011 reaching Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge
Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster on the north side and Lambeth on the south side, in London, England....
. On the first day of the swim, he experienced a symptom of hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
, possibly due to him not wearing a wetsuit
Wetsuit
A wetsuit is a garment, usually made of foamed neoprene, which is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports, providing thermal insulation, abrasion resistance and buoyancy. The insulation properties depend on bubbles of gas enclosed within the material,...
. He later encountered severe stomach problems due to the bacteria in the Thames and suffered a torn disc. He swam up to twelve hours each day.
During his swim, Walliams rescued a dog that had slipped loose from its owner and jumped in the water to join him. The Labrador dog got into difficulties on returning to the riverbank due to a hip condition and was lifted out of the water by Walliams. Animal rights group PETA
Peta
Peta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model* Peta Todd, English glamour model...
declared they would award him an honour.
Upon finishing his eight-day swim he found out he made over one million pounds for Sport Relief.
Books
In early 2008 Walliams signed a contract with HarperCollinsHarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
to publish two children's books. The debut novel, The Boy In The Dress
The Boy In The Dress
The Boy In The Dress is a children's book written by David Walliams and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It is the first book by Walliams, a television comedian best known for the show Little Britain. It tells the story of a twelve-year-old boy who enjoys cross-dressing, and the reactions of his...
, illustrated by Quentin Blake
Quentin Blake
Quentin Saxby Blake, CBE, FCSD, RDI, is an English cartoonist, illustrator and children's author, well-known for his collaborations with writer Roald Dahl.-Education:...
, was released worldwide on 1 November 2008. It explores several of the themes of Little Britain
Little Britain
Little Britain is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas...
from Walliams' own life on an emotional level, such as the camp
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
humour of cross-dressing
Cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
and effeminacy
Effeminacy
Effeminacy describes traits in a human male, that are more often associated with traditional feminine nature, behaviour, mannerisms, style or gender roles rather than masculine nature, behaviour, mannerisms, style or roles....
. The story recounts a neglected 12-year-old boy's 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
Bill's New Frock
Bill's New Frock is about a young transvestite who enjoys wearing pink frocks and likes eating chubbawubbas. book by Anne Fine and illustrated by Philippe Dupasquier for younger readers, first published in 1989, and reissued by Egmont in a new edition on 1 August 2002. The story concerns Bill...
..
In November 2009 came Mr Stink, again illustrated by Quentin Blake
Quentin Blake
Quentin Saxby Blake, CBE, FCSD, RDI, is an English cartoonist, illustrator and children's author, well-known for his collaborations with writer Roald Dahl.-Education:...
, about a 12-year-old girl who meets a tramp
Tramp
A tramp is a long term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking or hiking all year round. In British English meanwhile a tramp simply refers to a homeless person, usually not a travelling one....
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. The book was awarded the Children's Award in the inaugural Peoples Book Prize in 2010.
On 28 October 2010 he published his third book Billionaire Boy, illustrated by Tony Ross
Tony Ross
Tony Ross is a British illustrator and author for children.He is most noted for his work with Francesca Simon on the Horrid Henry books, and has also illustrated the Harry The Poisonous Centipede and Dr. Xargle series of books...
. It tells the story of Joe Spud, the richest 12-year-old in the world. Joe has everything he could ever want: his own Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
racing car, a thousand pairs of trainers, 8 billion pounds, even an orang-utan for a butler, but there is just one thing he really needs: a friend. The book included a 'billion pound note' that was used to enter a competition to win a day as a billionaire in London.
His fourth book, 'Gangsta Granny' was released in October 2011 and again illustrated by Tony Ross
Tony Ross
Tony Ross is a British illustrator and author for children.He is most noted for his work with Francesca Simon on the Horrid Henry books, and has also illustrated the Harry The Poisonous Centipede and Dr. Xargle series of books...
. 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. But Ben finds out she was once an international jewel thief and all her life, she has been plotting to steal the crown jewels, and wants Ben to help.
Awards
Walliams was given a special award in the BBC Sports Personality of the YearBBC Sports Personality of the Year
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is an awards ceremony that takes place annually in December. Devised by Paul Fox in 1954, it originally consisted of one titular award. Several new awards have been introduced, and , eight awards are presented. The oldest of these are the Team of the Year and...
in recognition of his sporting efforts for charity. Matt Lucas made a documentary of this, entitled Little Britain's Big Swim, which is on the Little Britain Live
Little Britain Live
Little Britain Live is a stage show based on the TV sketch series Little Britain, performed by its stars, Matt Lucas and David Walliams, and directed by Jeremy Sams. Supporting characters are played by Paul Putner and Samantha Power . As in the TV show, Tom Baker is the narrator, although his lines...
DVD. On 6 November 2006 he won The Mirrors "Pride of Britain" Award for the Most Influential Public Figure as he raised more than £1 million swimming the channel for the charity Sport Relief. Although initially tipped as a contender for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year poll for 2006, he 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 (CRY), a charity.
Personal life
In 2009 Walliams began dating Dutch model Lara StoneLara Stone
Lara Catherina Stone is a Dutch model.On February 19, 2010, she was tabulated as the world's number-one fashion model on the international modelling site models.com's Top 50 Models Women ranking, a position she maintains as of November 2011...
. On 20 January 2010, it became known that they were engaged. Walliams proposed to Stone in Los Angeles, after her parents gave their blessing to the relationship. On 16 May 2010 the couple were married at central London's Claridge's
Claridge's
Claridge's is a luxury hotel in Mayfair, central London. It is located at the corner of Brook Street and Davies Street.-History:Claridge's is a traditional grand hotel. Its extensive and old connections with royalty have led to it being referred to as an "extension to Buckingham Palace"...
hotel.
He has previously been romantically linked to Patsy Kensit
Patsy Kensit
Patricia Jude Francis "Patsy" Kensit is an English actress, singer, model and former child star, known for her television and film appearances. Her films include Lethal Weapon 2 and she has been married to rock stars Jim Kerr and Liam Gallagher, as well as herself fronting the band Eighth Wonder...
, Abi Titmuss
Abi Titmuss
Abi Titmuss, , is a former English nurse turned glamour model, television personality and actress.-Early life:...
, Emily Scott
Emily Scott
Emily Scott is an Australian commercial, lingerie and glamour model.She appeared in the visuals of Robbie Williams' spring 2006 tour, and in a remake of the "Rock DJ" video clip. She was the face of Lipton Ice Tea. In 2006, she was in the ITV reality series Love Island.As a DJ she tours Europe,...
and model Lauren Budd.
Walliams suffers from Depression
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, and described his 2006 swim of the English Channel as "some sort of redemption".
He admitted to going through periods of intense self-loathing and suffered a serious depressive episode and was unable to sleep properly for nine months until he sought professional help.
Partial credits
- Games WorldGames WorldGames World was a British computer games-based television programme, made by Hewland International and broadcast on Sky One each weekday from 1993-98...
- Leslie (1994) - Mash and PeasMash and PeasMash and Peas was a parodic sketch show written by and starring Matt Lucas & David Walliams. Their first television work together, it originally aired on Paramount Comedy 1 and Channel 4 between 1996 and 1997. The episodes were repeated before the channel's relaunch in 1999...
- Gareth Peas (1996) - Dennis Pennis R.I.P. - Anthony Cream Jr. (1997)
- Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-RoundAlexei Sayle's Merry-Go-RoundAlexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round was a comedy sketch show which ran on BBC2 for a total of 6 episodes over one series in 1998.Alexei Sayle's final series was almost identical in format to The All New Alexei Sayle Show...
- Newsagent (1998) - Sir Bernard's Stately HomesSir Bernard's Stately HomesSir Bernard's Stately Homes was a series of British TV comedy series first shown in 1998 on BBC Two and later re-run on Play UK. Only six 10 minute programmes were produced, all written by and starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams. It bore many similarities to the more well-known Rock Profile...
- Anthony Rogers (1998) - Bang Bang it's Reeves & Mortimer - Various characters (1999)
- Plunkett & MacleanePlunkett & MacleanePlunkett & Macleane is a 1999 British historical action comedy film directed by Jake Scott, and starring Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller and Liv Tyler. It follows the story of Captain James Macleane , and Will Plunkett , two men in eighteenth century Britain who are both struggling to survive...
- Rock ProfileRock ProfileRock Profile is a British television comedy show written by and starring comedy partnership Matt Lucas and David Walliams, both now widely known for the sketch show Little Britain. Rock Profile first appeared on the channel UK Play in 1999, before moving to BBC Two in 2000...
- Various characters (1999) - SpacedSpacedSpaced is a British television sitcom written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright. It is noted for its rapid-fire editing, frequent pop culture references and jokes, eclectic music, and occasional displays of surrealism and non-sequitur humour...
- Vulva (1999) - Doctor Who (spoof): The Web of Caves - Chief Alien (1999)
- Doctor Who (spoof): The Kidnappers - David (1999)
- Doctor Who (spoof): The Pitch of Fear - Sydney NewmanSydney NewmanSydney Cecil Newman, OC was a Canadian film and television producer, who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s...
(1999) - Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
: Phantasmagoria - Quincy Flowers (1999) - Black BooksBlack BooksBlack Books is a British sitcom television series created by Dylan Moran and Graham Linehan and produced by Nira Park, first broadcast on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2004...
- Customer (2000) - Time Gentlemen PleaseTime Gentlemen PleaseTime Gentlemen Please is a British sitcom. Commissioned by Sky One, it was primarily written by Richard Herring and Al Murray and ran for two series between 2000 and 2002.- Premise and characters :...
: Entente Lime Cordial - Marcel (2002) - Attachments (TV series)Attachments (TV series)Attachments is a BBC TV Series that ran for two seasons from 2000 to 2002, a total of 26 episodes. It focuses on a group of young professionals in London that work for an Internet startup company called "seethru" during the dot com boom...
- Jake (2002) - Cruise of the GodsCruise of the GodsCruise of the Gods was a one-off comedy/drama produced by Baby Cow Productions for the BBC. It starred Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan, David Walliams and James Corden...
- Jeff Monks (2002) - EastEndersEastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
Christmas Special - Ray (2003) - Little BritainLittle BritainLittle Britain is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas...
- Various characters (2003-) - Monkey TrousersMonkey TrousersMonkey Trousers was a short-lived comedy series on ITV in 2005, featuring Alistair McGowan, John Thomson, Ronni Ancona, Mackenzie Crook, Griff Rhys Jones, Neil Morrissey, Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Marc Wootton and Steve Coogan...
- Various characters (2004) - Shaun of the DeadShaun of the DeadShaun of the Dead is a 2004 British zombie comedy directed by Edgar Wright, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and written by Pegg and Wright. Pegg plays Shaun, a man attempting to get some kind of focus in his life as he deals with his girlfriend, his mother and stepfather...
- voice of a news reporter (2004) - MarpleMarple (TV series)Marple is a British television series based on the Miss Marple and other murder mystery novels by Agatha Christie. It is also known as Agatha Christie's Marple. The title character was played by Geraldine McEwan from the first to third series, until her retirement from the role. She was replaced...
- George Bartlett (2004) - A Cock and Bull StoryA Cock and Bull StoryA Cock and Bull Story is a 2006 British comedy film directed by Michael Winterbottom...
- Parson (2005) - HustleHustle (TV series)Hustle is a British television drama series made by Kudos Film and Television for BBC One in the United Kingdom. Created by Tony Jordan and first broadcast in 2004, the series follows a group of con artists who specialise in "long cons" – extended deceptions which require greater commitment, but...
- Shop Assistant (2005) - Hotel BabylonHotel BabylonHotel Babylon was a BBC television drama series based on the book of the same name by Imogen Edwards-Jones, that aired from 19 January 2006 to 14 August 2009, produced by independent production company Carnival Films for BBC One...
- Adrian Tintagel (2007) - Stardust - Sextus (2007)
- Waking the DeadWaking the Dead (TV series)Waking the Dead is a British television police procedural crime drama series produced by the BBC featuring a fictional Cold Case Unit comprising CID police officers, a psychological profiler and a forensic scientist. A pilot episode aired in September 2000 and there have been a total of nine series...
- Bell (2007) - NeighboursNeighboursNeighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
- guest starring as Louis Alexander Richards from Westcliff High School in Little Britain (6 September 2007) - Run Fat Boy Run - cake customer (2007)
- Capturing MaryCapturing MaryCapturing Mary is a BBC television drama , written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff. It was aired on BBC Two on 12 November 2007...
- Greville White (2007) - Rather You Than Me - Frankie Howerd (2008)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianThe Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianThe Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a 2008 epic fantasy film based on Prince Caspian, the second published, fourth chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. It is the second in The Chronicles of Narnia film series from Walden Media, following The...
- voice of Bulgy Bear (2008) - The Boy In The DressThe Boy In The DressThe Boy In The Dress is a children's book written by David Walliams and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It is the first book by Walliams, a television comedian best known for the show Little Britain. It tells the story of a twelve-year-old boy who enjoys cross-dressing, and the reactions of his...
- written by David Walliams, illustrated by Quentin Blake (2008) - Mr Stink - written by David Walliams, illustrated by Quentin Blake
- Dinner for SchmucksDinner for SchmucksDinner for Schmucks, a 2010 screwball comedy film, is the American adaptation of the French film Le Dîner de Cons , being described by the director as "inspired by" the original rather than a remake of it...
- new client Mueller (2010) - Marmaduke (film)Marmaduke (film)Marmaduke is an American live action film adaptation of Brad Anderson's comic strip Marmaduke. The film centers on a rural Kansas family and their pets – a Great Dane named Marmaduke and a Balinese cat named Carlos – as the family relocates to California.-Plot:Marmaduke is a Great Dane living in...
- Anton Harrison (2010) - Billionaire Boy - written by David Walliams, illustrated by Tony Ross
- The Itch of the Golden Nit - The Golden Nit
- Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
- Gibbis (2011)
External links
http://www.collingwoodschool.org.uk/- Walliams page on BBC Comedy Guide
- David Walliams attempts to swim English Channel (Flash playerAdobe Flash PlayerThe Adobe Flash Player is software for viewing multimedia, Rich Internet Applications and streaming video and audio, on a computer web browser or on supported mobile devices. Flash Player runs SWF files that can be created by the Adobe Flash authoring tool, by Adobe Flex or by a number of other...
required) - Comedy Zone Profile of Walliams
- Information and news on David Walliams
- Information and news on Lucas and Walliams