David Walliams on Engineering Happiness, Fatherhood & Staying Inspired
Podcast
Show notes
Welcome to episode 1 of Season 9 of Live Well, Be Well, hosted by Sarah Ann Macklin. This podcast will bring you your weekly slice of wellbeing.
We’re kicking off series 9 with one of Britain’s best-loved comedians, David Walliams, OBE.
Little Britain, his creation with Matt Lucas, won numerous international awards including three BAFTAs, and now plays in over 100 countries. But he’s not just a comedian. He swam the English Channel in 2006 raising over £1m for the charity Sport Relief and then in 2011 he swam 140 miles along the length of the River Thames, which raised more than £2m. He’s also been a judge on the ITV talent show Britain’s Got Talent since 2012 alongside Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon.
David turned his hand in 2008 and started writing children’s books. Since then he’s become a best-selling children’s author, with his novels having been translated into 55 languages, selling 50 million copies worldwide. Some of his books have been adapted into television films or for the stage, such as the Royal Shakespeare Company’s acclaimed musical production of The Boy in the Dress.
In this episode of Live Well, Be Well, we talk to David about happiness, what it looks like for him today and the journey he’s been on to find it. We hear out about his process when writing, his inspirations and the message he’d like people to take from the stories. He also discusses how having become a father in the past 10 years has affected his life and happiness, he shares some stories including one about Kanye West & Elton John and of course, some of his favourite jokes.
Happy listening!
Time Stamps
0255 What’s changed in the past 10 years
0425 Comedy: then & now
0514 David’s happiness: Then & Now
0709 What does happiness mean to you?
0934 One of David’s most memorable moments
1137 Being present
1713 From Comedy to Children’s author
2028 Inspiration behind the Boy in the Dress
2306 Dealing with adversity
2640 People pleasing
2940 Mental Endurance
3233 Comic Relief Challenge: Swimming The Channel
3839 Perfectionism, ambition & happiness
4016 Purpose
4250 The message behind David’s books
4550 David’s formula for writing a children’s book
4925 David’s favourite character
5141 Quick Fire Questions
01:01:00 What does LWBW mean to David
This season of Live Well Be Well is produced by The Podcast Guys
