Walliams gets his titters out
Little Britain star to play Frankie Howerd
David Walliams is to play his comic hero Frankie Howerd in a new BBC biopic.The Little Britain star has confirmed that he will play the troubled comedian in the BBC Four show in the new year.
It is one of a short season of entertainers’ biographies, which will also focus on Tony Hancock and Steptoe And Son stars Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H Corbett.
Walliams said: ‘I'm playing Frankie Howerd… He's a legend isn't he? It's quite a challenge playing a real person but I'm a genuine, genuine fan of his.’
‘I wrote to him, got his autograph when I was a kid, I went to see him many times, and met him once, so I’m chuffed about that.
‘I’ve always wanted to be an actor. I once heard Frankie Howerd on the radio say if he hadn't been a comedian, “I would have starved”. And I feel the same way. I have no idea what “proper job” I could do.
Walliams even did an impersonation of Frankie Howerd when he first met Little Britain partner Matt Lucas at the National Youth Theatre.
Published: 14 Dec 2007
