Billionaire Boy is ready to roll on a national tour
DAVID WALLIAMS IS DELIGHTED HIS BEST-SELLING STORY IS HEADING TO CAR PARKS. MARION MCMULLEN FINDS OUT ABOUT THE DRIVE-IN SPECIAL
How have you been over the past year?
FORTUNATELY writing is something you can do on your own at home, so I have been able to work. Last year I brought out four books, two or three of which were written during lockdown and I’m writing my new one at the moment.
I’ve been able to be pretty busy in that department. I also got to do some filming at the end of last year, but it’s quite complex. The rules are changing all the time and it’s quite hard to do all the things I want to, but I’ve been able to do some of them.
I feel quite lucky in that respect as I have friends who are stand-up comedians or actors on the stage who haven’t been able to work at all. So, I feel lucky that I’m a writer as well, that the books are successful and people want to read them, so there’s always hunger for new ones.
Your book Billionaire Boy has been adapted for a car park tour of the country. What do you think of the new version?
IT’S brilliant! Very imaginative. I think people are craving some entertainment and especially live entertainment because although the TV has still been on, you haven’t been able to be part of an audience, so this is a great and safe way to enjoy a show.
If you have kids who are in all day and home schooling, you really want something you can take your them to do or see. Hopefully this will really entertain families.
Billionaire Boy’s dad makes his billions from selling toilet paper. How do you think he would have reacted to people stockpiling huge amounts of the stuff?
HE would’ve been one of the few people that benefitted.
It would’ve been him and Jeff Bezos! He would’ve been like ‘Well, it could’ve been worse’.
That whole thing was extraordinary, wasn’t it? I think in Billionaire Boy his Bumfresh toilet paper was actually a good invention, dry on one side and wet on the other.
Do you feel it is important for the arts to continue in some form during these difficult times?
WELL, it is important. I have friends that are actors, directors, designers and so on who have been all out of work because nothing’s been happening.
They are absolutely all raring to go to do something. I feel like the audience wants it too. It’s hard to put an exact value on the arts because they enhance your life, but you can’t put a figure on it because it’s not like that.
When you read something or see something though, it moves you. It changes the way you think, how you feel about the world and about life. It’s a massive thing and hits people at home.
They see something that moves and changes them, something that makes them empathise with people they don’t know, whatever it is. That’s a really important part of life.
What does live performance mean to you?
IT’S storytelling. We want to tell stories all the time, it’s just a different way of doing it, and I think it’s really important, it’s very life enriching, but obviously it’s hard because it’s not exactly quantifiable, but that’s part of the magic of it isn’t?
It’s just this wonderful and lifeenhancing thing. We all respond differently, with different tastes and abilities and that’s part of the magic too. Not everyone agrees on what they like or is interesting to them.
It’s a big part of our culture and also, it’s something we can really celebrate in this country because we’ve had so many brilliant playwrights and we have the West End. If there’s any other place like it, it’s only Broadway.
No other place in the world has that. We have always had a very very vibrant arts culture here and it’s something we really need to protect.
Is friendship even more important for children at the moment?
IT’S very important that they can keep in touch with their friends.
Luckily, technology exists, though not everyone has access to it, but at least with phones and computers you can see people and speak to them.
It’s not the same as being with someone though, so it can’t take the place of it, but it is important. Just checking in with people making sure they are okay is crucial at the moment, because a lot of people are struggling.
It’s a hard one because you might not be feeling great yourself because you’re struggling with loneliness or isolation, so you see why people might find it so difficult. With kids especially, it can be hard to get them to engage with what they want and to articulate it too.
So it’s very important that everyone looks out for each other. I think also that kids notice their parents. They take on a slightly different attitude or something and the way kids relate to each other is wonderful, as they are just much more open.
You played dinner lady Mrs Trafe in the BBC adaptation of Billionaire Boy. Will you be reprising the role for the car park party shows?
I HAVEN’T been asked to perform, but I definitely want to come and see it and if I do, I’ll definitely come onto the stage and say hello to everybody.
■ Car Park Party presents David Walliams’ Billionaire Boy which will be visiting 15 locations from April 2. Go to carparkparty.com for booking details.