RIP-ROARING READING CHALLENGE 2023!

The finale of David’s Rip-Roaring Reading Challenge is now live!

Will you be reading Grannysaurus or Gangsta Granny Strikes Again! this month? Dance into a sleepover at Granny’s with Spike and some unexpected visitors in Grannysaurus or embark on an international mystery mission to find stolen treasures in Gangsta Granny Strikes Again! 

Simply send us your review, either written OR a video clip, telling us why you loved the book! Ends midnight 31st January. It’s free and accessible for all readers. Good luck! Find the progress sheet, entry & T&C’s here: bit.ly/WalliamsReadingChallengeComp

Plus, by entering the reading challenge, you will be in with the chance of winning amazing prizes at the end of EVERY month for completing your chosen book!

The Rip-Roaring Reading Challenge 2023 DECEMBER Competition! 

ENTER HERE!


This month, one lucky winner will win 10 David Walliams books of YOUR choice!

For your chance to win, simply upload your review of eitherGrannysaurus or Gangsta Granny Strikes Again! using the Rip-Roaring Reading Challenge review template OR upload a video recording summing up your thoughts in 15 seconds or less! 

Good luck! Closes midnight 31st January. Entry & T&C’s – bit.ly/WalliamsReadingChallengeComp 

Thank you to all our readers who have taken part in David’s Rip-Roaring Reading Challenge for 2023! If you have either taken part or have completed the whole year, you can download your certificate for free here to download and print!

David reflects on The Boy in the Dress, now a major musical!

The RSC musical, The Boy in the Dress opened in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre on Friday 8 November, with David Walliams’ novel becoming a fully-fledged musical for the first time, with music from Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers.

It’s been a surreal experience for David, as he didn’t think anything would come of Director Gregory Doran asking Robbie and Guy to write the music for the show: “I know Robbie and Guy a bit and I thought, well, you can ask them, I’m not going to ask, because they probably won’t want to and they’re far too busy. When they said, Robbie and Guy are on board, then I thought, yeah, well, I’ll believe it when I hear the songs. Then, when I came to a workshop and I heard 18 incredible songs, I was like, oh, this is real now, my book really is going to be a musical at the RSC with songs by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers.”

To read the full article, and listen to an exclusive clip of the new song Disco Symphony, click here.

Worthing’s Children’s Parade

The theme of Worthing’s Children’s Parade this year was The World of David Walliams. It was an absolutely fantastic event on Saturday 15th June, made even better with a surprise visit from the man himself!

Thank you to everyone who took part and made it a really special year for Worthing’s Children’s Parade.

Grandpa’s Great Escape LIVE

Tickets for the brand new arena spectacular Grandpa’s Great Escape Live are now on sale. Adapted from the number one bestselling book by David Walliams, this exciting new production will tour arenas around the UK this Christmas. Visit www.GrandpasGreatEscapeLive.co.uk for full details and to book tickets. The perfect treat for you and your family!

Click above to watch the Grandpa’s Great Escape Live trailer, or watch here.

The Ice Monster wins Children’s Fiction Book of the Year!

We are delighted to announce that David Walliams’ novel The Ice Monster is the Children’s Fiction Book of the Year! It was recognised at the British Book Awards, with other prizes going to authors including Michelle Obama and Sally Rooney. David accepted the award before inviting illustrator Tony Ross to join him on stage to share the moment. Judge Tina Gaisford-Waller, of Hunting Raven Books, described ‘The Ice Monster’ as “gloriously, snortily funny.”

The Ice Monster is a comedic adventure based on the unlikely friendship between a ten-year-old girl and a 10,000-year-old mammoth. A truly magical tale, The Ice Monster contains the incredibly important message that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

Ratburger and Grandpa’s Great Escape on TV this Christmas

As if Christmas wasn’t exciting enough already, it’s just got a whole lot better! Not one but TWO of David Walliams’ books have been turned into TV programmes. You’ll be able to watch them this December. And even better still – David is starring in both!

You’ll remember Ratburger – the story of Zoe and her pet rat. David will be turning himself into the evil Burt from Burt’s Burgers, who wants to turn Zoe’s rat into ‘delicious’ rat burgers and eat them. We’ve seen clips from the screening and the transformation is incredible!

After you’ve watched that, you might not want to eat a burger for a while. Thankfully there are none in Grandpa’s Great Escape, which you’ll also want to tell your parents you’re ‘definitely-without-fail’ watching this Christmas.

In this one, David plays the role of Jack’s Dad, a role that may or may not involve slipper wearing. You’re in for a treat as Grandpa and his grandson Jack plan a daring escape from his care home Twilight Towers.

If that wasn’t enough, there’s more. RAJ IS BACK!

To watch Ratburger you’ll need to tune into Sky 1. For Grandpa’s Great Escape, channel surf your way to BBC One.

Grab the cushions, make yourself some popcorn and get comfortable on the sofa because this is going to be nothing short of BRILLIANT!

Record-breaking 100 Weeks in the Children’s Books Charts!

We are over-the-moon to announce that David Walliams has become the first children’s writer to spend 100 weeks in the number one position in the children’s book charts, beating his nearest rivals by over 20 weeks.

Gangsta Granny (2011), was David’s first number one bestseller, a position subsequently reached by each of his novels and his two recent The World’s Worst Children collections of short stories. In 2014, Awful Auntie became the first of his books to also occupy the overall number one position, while Grandpa’s Great Escape became the biggest selling title of 2016, and The Midnight Gang became that year’s Christmas Number One – the first children’s title to achieve this since J.K. Rowling in 2008. In 2017 he has already had four number one titles: Blob (for World Book Day), The World’s Worst Children 2, The Midnight Gang and Grandpa’s Great Escape.

“I never dreamed of this scale of success. Thank you so much to everyone who bought the books and made this happen. It is incredible news but all that really matters is that children are reading and enjoying my books.” – David Walliams

Celebrating David Walliams throughout the summer, David’s Facebook page will be host to a series of #WalliamsWednesday events, in which a new book will be showcased every week. Children and adults alike can take part in a weekly competition, download fantastic activities, listen to some of David’s audio books and even get the chance to pick up David’s book on Amazon Kindle for only 99p! If you’re already a super-fan or even new to David’s books, there will be something there for you in the World of David Walliams.

David Walliams Live from the Birmingham Symphony Hall

On November 20th 2016, David Walliams Live visited the Birmingham Symphony Hall for a magical extravaganza. David, donning his best pyjamas, thrilled children and parents as he read a scene from The Midnight Gang and followed up with fan favourites, Gangsta Granny, The World’s Worst Children and Rat Burger.

The whole show was filmed in front of a live audience, but in case you missed it the first time around, you can watch David Walliams Live from the Birmingham Symphony Hall, in all its hilarity right here.

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David reading from The Midnight Gang

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A reading from the brilliant The World’s Worst Children

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David’s reading of Ratburger

David topped the show off with a Q&A session, gathering questions from the audience. He spoke about his characters, namely how he came up with his well-loved character Raj, his writing and his approach to creativity. David also told the audience what his dream would be if he was in the Midnight Gang.

The audience of parents and children were treated to their own midnight feast goody bags, and a magical morning was had by all.

For more information about the books that David reads from, visit the following.

The Midnight Gang

Gangsta Granny

The World’s Worst Children

Ratburger

Gangsta Granny is hitting the West End in 2017!

The Birmingham Stage Company is delighted to present David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny! This special production is touring the country until July next year before its West End premiere at the Garrick Theatre from 26 July to 3 September 2017.

It’s Friday night and Ben knows that means only one thing – staying with Granny! There will be cabbage soup, cabbage pie and cabbage cake and Ben knows one thing for sure – it’s going to be sooooooooo boring! But what Ben doesn’t know is that Granny has a secret – and Friday nights are about to get more exciting than he could ever imagine, as he embarks on the adventure of a lifetime with his very own Gangsta Granny!

“Kids loved this show. Every comic opportunity is grasped”
– The Daily Telegraph * * * *

“Brilliantly adapted and directed, this is a cracker of a show!”
– Mail on Sunday * * * *

“The brilliant Birmingham Stage Company have produced a fantastic show. It’s superb. And it’s so much better than the book”.
– David Walliams

Click here for more about the show

Excited? We thought so. Before you go, be sure to join the World of David Walliams – we’re planning a few very exciting Gangsta Granny surprises for members!

The First Hippo on the Moon on tour!

3 …2 …1 …BLAST OFF!

From Number One best selling children’s author David Walliams comes an explosively funny space adventure for children of 3 and up. Two big hippos. One ENORMOUS dream. Who can make it to the moon first?

Adapted for the stage by acclaimed award winning theatre company Les Petits comes a fantastical adventure featuring puppetry, music, mayhem and a giant space race to the moon!

For tour dates and tickets, click here!

Did you meet David Walliams and Tony Ross?

To celebrate the release of the brilliant new book, The World’s Worst Children, David Walliams and Tony Ross held an amazing signing at Waterstones Piccadilly!

Here are just some of the photos from that day!

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David Walliams, signing away & never too far from a Malteaser!

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Tony Ross, signing (and sometimes doodling) for fans!

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Excited fans, queuing up with their books!

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Just some of the wonderful World of David Walliams fans we met in the queue!

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Our mega pile of books, all waiting to be signed!