An audience with British comedian and children’s writer David Walliams was everything I had hoped for: belly laughs, clips from my all-time favourite show Little Britain, insider gossip about Simon Cowell, and fascinating stories about how he and his writing partner Matt Lucas created the iconic characters of the show.
What made the experience even more satisfying was seeing characters on the big screen that had been cut or “cancelled” from the original Little Britain episodes, now deemed too ‘offensive’ for overly sensitive audiences.
Walliams touched on the absurdity of cancel culture, without specifically mentioning his 2020 public apology.
The show had been criticised for its portrayal of characters like Desiree DeVere, an obese Caribbean woman, and Ting Tong, a “portly Thai bride” – ironically two of my favourite characters.
He also recalled how producers of Little Britain were initially worried that the Andy and Lou sketches might provoke complaints from the disabled community.
However, in a twist of irony, Walliams revealed that this audience loved the jokes. As he so rightly said, everyone loves a good laugh, and his live show certainly delivered on that front.
The show was slick and fast-paced, with video clips projected on the big screen seamlessly integrated throughout.
There was no unnecessary mucking around or lengthy deep dives into life stories – Walliams knew his audience and delivered exactly what they came for.
His charismatic presence, sharp wit, and mastery of timing ensured that the laughs kept coming, and the evening felt well-balanced and expertly paced.
I was lucky enough to meet Walliams after the show, just a week after interviewing him. The first thing he said, in a slightly unexcited yet self-assured tone, was, “It’s you again, you can’t get enough of me.” And he’s right – thank god for YouTube!
They say things come full circle, and my wish is for Little Britain to make a triumphant comeback in an era where the tide is turning against the culture of perpetual offence.