David Walliams is a British comedian, actor, activist, presenter, and children’s author who has been a judge on Britain’s Got Talent for the last 4 seasons. Born on August 20th 1971 in Merton London, David first found fame as one half of the comedy duo (the other being Matt Lucas) who headlined the series Little Britain and has continued to appear in, or be the brains behind several comedy programmes.
David famously swam the length of the River Thames to raise funds for Comic Relief in 2011 which resulted in his contracting Giardiasis and necessitating emergency spinal surgery for a disc injury. He has also swum the English Channel, the Strait of Gibraltar and cycled the length of Great Britain in aid of various charitable organisations.
David began his writing career in 2008 when he won a two book contract with publishers HarperCollins and his first novel The Boy in the dress was released in November of that year to critical acclaim. Illustrated by Quentin Blake, Walliams’ writing style has often been compared to that of Roald Dahl and David has often said that Dahl is one of his literary heroes.
Inherently silly, David’s books have sold over 12 million copies to date and have been translated into 46 languages. Winner of several literary awards and a much loved children’s author, here are 10 delightful quotes from David Walliams.
“All you can do in this life is follow your dreams. Otherwise you’re just wasting your time.”
“In Britain, a cup of tea is the answer to every problem.
Fallen off your bicycle? Nice cup of tea.
Your house has been destroyed by a meteorite? Nice cup of tea and a biscuit.
Your entire family has been eaten by a Tyrannosaurus Rex that has travelled through a space/time portal? Nice cup of tea and a piece of cake..”
“Children nowadays don’t believe in magic. They are forever watching TV and playing computer games. They never look to the skies any more.”
“I had a very happy childhood, but I wasn’t that happy a child. I liked being alone and creating characters and voices. I think that’s when your creativity is developed, when you’re young. I liked the world of the imagination because it was an easy place to go to.”
“When I was a child I devoured every book I could get my hands on. I loved losing myself in colourful and dramatic stories – and my absolute favourite was ‘Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.’ Everything about it electrified me, and when I re-read Roald Dahl’s books as an adult it surprised me.”
“Reality always outstrips fiction. Whatever you make up, something more incredible always pops up in real life.”
“Children’s books are often seen as the poor relation of literature. But children are just as demanding as adult readers, if not more so. I should know. I’m a children’s writer myself.”
“I’m terribly attention-seeking. It’s very different once you get all this attention, though. Because then you want to control it. And you can’t exactly.”
“I love telling stories. I love the intimacy between the writer and reader. When you write sketches it’s over in two minutes. When you write a book the characters have to have a bit of emotional depth.”
“I just want to be happy, have kids, enjoy my life, help others and create some good work.”
If you have children, or grandchildren; nephews, nieces, or even just saw a child down the road once, you could do worse than having a look through these wonderful titles by David Walliams.
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