David Walliams: My desert island dreams of running away to be a children’s writer

David Walliams says he is so taken with his career as a children’s author that he has fantasies about running away to an isolated island to write.

The comedian, who is also a judge on Britain’s Got Talent and is best known for Little Britain, has sold more then four million books since penning his first in 2008.

He starred alongside Joanna Lumley in BBC sketch show Walliams & Friend last year and the pair will reunite for an in-conversation charity event in London on Saturday.

He said: “One day it would be fantastic to shut yourself away and write children’s books, and be like Roald Dahl, have a shed at the bottom of the garden and dream up stories. I think lots of writers have fantasies about living on an island somewhere, or having a remote cottage, so they can be alone with their thoughts.”

Walliams, 44, said he never thought he would become a children’s author after finding fame as a comedian with co-writer Matt Lucas. He added: “I think we were so immersed in getting Little Britain on TV, it was such a long, time-consuming venture. We started off on the radio, then we were on BBC3, then we were plunged into our success, which was very exciting but it didn’t allow time to do anything else. One thing that I did notice when we were doing the Little Britain live tour is that there were loads and loads of children who were big fans of the show. And I did think if we could capture a bit of Little Britain in a more child-friendly way without the more adult elements, maybe kids would appreciate it.

“I know there’s a lot of cynicism about well-known people writing books of any kind. I got downgraded to being a celebrity. Which I always thought was a bit unfair — it wasn’t like I’d won Big Brother or something!

“I was very fortunate because Sir Quentin Blake illustrated the first two books and he responded to the writing, he didn’t have to put his name to my books. That gave me a really brilliant start. It was quite a slow burn — it wasn’t until the fourth book that things really took off.”

Walliams is sure the event with Lumley, 69, which will raise funds for The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust, will provide some titillating anecdotes.

He said: “Between sketches during the filming of Walliams & Friend she would tell the most amazing stories — one in particular was about how she met Frank Sinatra and that he propositioned her within about 10 minutes of them meeting. But our charity event will be more child-friendly.”

The event at Cadogan Hall is suitable for all children aged four and over. Tickets are £25 and include a copy of Grandpa’s Great Escape by Walliams. Box office: 020 7730 4500.