DAVID WALLIAMS ON BGT Where do I get ideas for my book villains? It’s easy, I just think, what would Simon Cowell do
WORDS rarely fail him but if, just if, David Walliams is ever short of an idea for his children’s books, one man springs to mind... Simon Cowell.
Comedy star Walliams knows that Cowell, his Britain’s Got Talent co-judge and X Factor guru, will always inspire plot lines for his villainous characters.
Walliams and Cowell are regularly caught mocking each other on BGT.
So no surprise that David, 46, should take another comical swipe at his TV pal.
He says: “As a children’s book writer one of the most important things you need is an evil villain for your stories.
“So whenever I am creating a villain I think “What would Simon do?’ He is a very strange character. He does not like to get out of bed until 4pm. So we always start BGT about three or four hours late.
“So if we are in Liverpool we have about 3,000 people waiting for it to start.
“He gets there and says ‘Sorry we are late. David was having a four-course meal. I said to him we are about to start and David says the people of Liverpool can wait’.
“And people start booing me. He is very competitive... but he is very short!”
Simon, 5ft 8ins, was rushed to hospital with concussion in October after falling down
Success is brilliant, of course, but you live or die by your last joke and I am plagued with insecurities DAVID WALLIAMS TALKING ABOUT HIS BOOKS, HIS CAREER AND HIS DESIRE TO DO EVEN BETTER
judge and now hugely acclaimed author, Walliams is still deeply insecure. The star – who suffers with bipolar disorder – says: “I am plagued by insecurities. All the time. You have success and it is brilliant but, of course, you always strive to be better. “You live or die by your last joke. And so, yes, I don’t think it ever feels assured. “Showbusiness is fickle. You are flavour of the month and then not. Frankie Howerd spent his whole life going in and out of fashion. You meet the fabulously rich and they are desperately unhappy.” David shot to fame starring alongside Matt Lucas in BBC comedy Little Britain before becoming a BGT judge five years ago.
He wrote and starred in BBC1 sitcom Big School and played Tommy Beresford in the BBC series Partners in Crime.
BIZARRE
His children’s books have sold more than 12.5 million copies and been translated into 46 languages. Kids love tales like Billionaire Boy, Bad Dad and Grandpa’s Great Escape.
Some critics even compare him to Roald Dahl and his tale Gangsta Granny has been turned into a West End show.
David is thrilled – but won’t accept he has “made it” as an author for many years.
He goes on: “The most bizarre thing that has happened to me is the success of the books. It has outstripped anything else I have done. I will know I have made it as a children’s