The World of David Walliams: General Discussion

[Dave]

My gut feeling for next year is they will remove direct references to Walliams, whether that goes as far as removing his voice from Gangsta Granny I don’t know.

I suspect they will be quickly looking to replace the IP however, how thy do that is for debate. A cloud cuckoo land style overlay for a few years might come in 2027 as a stop gap.

I don’t think Merlins money worries are so big that they will mothball the area, but I suppose it’s not out of the question if they think reputational damage is a big enough risk. I suppose they could “sanitise” most of the area fairly quickly Gansta Grannie is the only real tricky one to do.

 

[QTXAdsy]

To be fair, Black Hole went slightly steampunk for a year or two before X-Sector arrived and then they changed the concept.

Whilst I love X-Sector I often wonder how it would have panned out…

Had Thorpe Park not been bought, and all the money needed in that takeover then Port Discovery would have happened, the fact Black Hole had some steampunk theme added to its station (hot take but perhaps the best themed station Towers ever did) shows how close it was.

With hindsight, Port Discovery would have aged better than X-Sector for sure.

 

[spotweld]

Had Thorpe Park not been bought, and all the money needed in that takeover then Port Discovery would have happened, the fact Black Hole had some steampunk theme added to its station (hot take but perhaps the best themed station Towers ever did) shows how close it was.

With hindsight, Port Discovery would have aged better than X-Sector for sure.

I've just had a look at the Port Discovery concept art and I genuinely shed a tear. What a waste X Sector is in comparison.

 

[owenstreet7]

Had Thorpe Park not been bought, and all the money needed in that takeover then Port Discovery would have happened, the fact Black Hole had some steampunk theme added to its station (hot take but perhaps the best themed station Towers ever did) shows how close it was.

With hindsight, Port Discovery would have aged better than X-Sector for sure.

I don't believe the purchase of Thorpe Park was related but I could be wrong.

Tussaud's stake in PortAventura was sold in 1998 which enabled Thorpe Park to be purchased soon after.

 

[QTXAdsy]

I've just had a look at the Port Discovery concept art and I genuinely shed a tear. What a waste X Sector is in comparison.

Aye, how close we came to the UK's answer to Discovery Land had the whole Thorpe deal never happened.

I don't believe the purchase of Thorpe Park was related but I could be wrong.

Tussaud's stake in PortAventura was sold in 1998 which enabled Thorpe Park to be purchased soon after.

No, IIRC, the deal to buy Thorpe had been rumbling along which clashed with the plans for Towers and the money that would have gone to the theming of Port Discovery was instead used for Thorpe.

The reason for X-Sector's concrete jungle look was a way to cut costs down which in the short term worked but nearly 30 years later looks dated. One of the great 'what if' moments of Towers history and if TWODW is to be replaced with Project Horizon part of it, they have a worth while idea of Port Discovery to bring that back from the dead and use that theme.

Not far fetched honestly as the double lift concept for SW1 was used for Smiler and the hole in the ground concept for Katanga Canyon's coaster was used for Oblivion so old ideas don't die out but get used later on down the line.

 

[jon81uk]

Had Thorpe Park not been bought, and all the money needed in that takeover then Port Discovery would have happened, the fact Black Hole had some steampunk theme added to its station (hot take but perhaps the best themed station Towers ever did) shows how close it was.

With hindsight, Port Discovery would have aged better than X-Sector for sure.

Oblivion opened March 1998, Tussauds bought Thorpe Park in 1998. The X Sector theme was set in stone long before the Thorpe Park purchase. I don't think that Tussauds acquiring Thorpe had any reflection on the X Sector theming for Oblivion and the surrounding area.

 

[QTXAdsy]

Oblivion opened March 1998, Tussauds bought Thorpe Park in 1998. The X Sector theme was set in stone long before the Thorpe Park purchase. I don't think that Tussauds acquiring Thorpe had any reflection on the X Sector theming for Oblivion and the surrounding area.

Admittedly my mind is a little hazy but the money needed for the full buyout for Thorpe did use funds the year prior for Port Discovery and this last minute cut back did see X-Sector happen.

Like many, I wonder what might have been had it happened...

 

[jon81uk]

Admittedly my mind is a little hazy but the money needed for the full buyout for Thorpe did use funds the year prior for Port Discovery and this last minute cut back did see X-Sector happen.

Like many, I wonder what might have been had it happened...

From the TowersStreet History section https://towersstreet.com/construction/x-sector/#portdiscovery

Port Discovery was clearly the favoured plan for the area for several years, to the extent that Tussauds trademarked the name in late 1994, indicating their intention to bring this area to the park. It was not until two years later in February 1997 that X-Sector was trademarked along with the slogan 'Don't Look Down', indicating a significant change in direction for the area.

X Sector was firmly decided on early 1997 so would have been set in stone as a concept late 1996. Additionally the train design would have gone to B&M.
Sorry I don't see that the Thorpe Park purchase had anything to do with it. More likely that the B&M track suited a more industrial theme and it was harder to make that fit with the rounder steam punk style.

 

[owenstreet7]

From the TowersStreet History section https://towersstreet.com/construction/x-sector/#portdiscovery

X Sector was firmly decided on early 1997 so would have been set in stone as a concept late 1996. Additionally the train design would have gone to B&M.
Sorry I don't see that the Thorpe Park purchase had anything to do with it. More likely that the B&M track suited a more industrial theme and it was harder to make that fit with the rounder steam punk style.

Aye, how close we came to the UK's answer to Discovery Land had the whole Thorpe deal never happened.

No, IIRC, the deal to buy Thorpe had been rumbling along which clashed with the plans for Towers and the money that would have gone to the theming of Port Discovery was instead used for Thorpe.

The reason for X-Sector's concrete jungle look was a way to cut costs down which in the short term worked but nearly 30 years later looks dated. One of the great 'what if' moments of Towers history and if TWODW is to be replaced with Project Horizon part of it, they have a worth while idea of Port Discovery to bring that back from the dead and use that theme.

Not far fetched honestly as the double lift concept for SW1 was used for Smiler and the hole in the ground concept for Katanga Canyon's coaster was used for Oblivion so old ideas don't die out but get used later on down the line.

With regards to the Thorpe Park purchase, I have checked the source and it's on the Wikipedia article which does say that the Thorpe purchase was made possible by the sale of PortAventura

The Tussauds Group - Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on The Tussauds Group

History of The Tussauds Group

www.referenceforbusiness.com

Let's move back to the Walliams World topic

 

[pluk]

I would hardly classify seven months as a "looong time" in the glacially slow world of television production. The Would I Lie to You? Christmas Special is part of the Series 19 production block, which filmed back in May. They don't wheel Rob Brydon out on Christmas Eve to film it live.

"Would I Lie to You?" At Christmas (TV Episode 2025) | Comedy, Game-Show

At Christmas: Directed by Barbara Wiltshire. With Rob Brydon, Lee Mack, David Mitchell, Helen George. For this festive edition of the comedy panel show Rob Brydon, Lee Mack and David Mitchell are joined by Jools Holland, Swarzy Shire, Helen George and David Walliams, who reveal amazing stories...

www.imdb.com

If you're referring to the adaptations of Walliams' children's books, "Grandpa's Great Escape" was the last "new" production released by the BBC in 2018 (filmed in 2017).

BBC - David Walliams

Comedy dramas based on David Walliams's best-selling children's books.

www.bbc.co.uk

The BBC's statement that they have "no future projects" is a magnificent piece of performative PR. It sounds terribly decisive and moral, but in reality, they haven't commissioned a Walliams adaptation since Grandpa's Great Escape aired in 2018. They are essentially announcing that they are bravely continuing to do exactly what they have been doing for the last seven years. It’s easy to cancel a man you weren't employing anyway.

If you are looking for new adaptations, you need to look at Sky. They commissioned Fing! for a 2026 release.

Fing! - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I think you are missing my point if I wasn't clear. This being filmed so long is indeed standard, so to have nothing filmed with him awaiting broadcast would appear unusual considering how frequently he pops up on things, and likely a deliberate decision. The chances of him not being on any lined up output across all BBC TV and radio made in any of the time since? Tiny, and nothing to do with no recent adaptations of his books.

As for TWODW I expect they'll do nothing immediately, and in the medium term (or if anything specific about what he is supposed to have done gets reported) maybe remove his name as a world and just leave the rides themed to the books but without explicitly using his name in the titles. It's not Julia Donaldson's Gruffalow or Room on the Broom at Chessington, I could see the same here with the author link being pretty well ignored by the public if its not spelled out.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

I think you are missing my point if I wasn't clear. This being filmed so long is indeed standard, so to have nothing filmed with him awaiting broadcast would appear unusual considering how frequently he pops up on things, and likely a deliberate decision. The chances of him not being on any lined up output across all BBC TV and radio made in any of the time since? Tiny, and nothing to do with no recent adaptations of his books.

I think you are overestimating his ubiquity on the BBC. Since Little Britain and Come Fly With Me ended, Walliams has firmly been an ITV talent. His appearances on the BBC have been sporadic guest spots on panel shows or chat shows, not core programming. A seven month gap between filming a Christmas special and... nothing else... is entirely standard for a freelancer who commands a high fee and works primarily for the competition.

It's also worth scrutinising the specific wording of that BBC statement: "We have no future projects directly involving David Walliams."

Most of the shows he "pops up" on, QI, Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You?, are produced by third party production companies (Talkback, Hat Trick, Zeppotron). They are not in house BBC productions. Technically, appearing as a guest on a panel show isn't a BBC project "directly involving" him; it is a booking made by an external company for a commissioned show.

 

[pluk]

I think you are overestimating his ubiquity on the BBC. Since Little Britain and Come Fly With Me ended, Walliams has firmly been an ITV talent. His appearances on the BBC have been sporadic guest spots on panel shows or chat shows, not core programming. A seven month gap between filming a Christmas special and... nothing else... is entirely standard for a freelancer who commands a high fee and works primarily for the competition.
.

Maybe I am, does feel like he pops up everywhere on panel and celebrity shows to me.

It's also worth scrutinising the specific wording of that BBC statement: "We have no future projects directly involving David Walliams."

Most of the shows he "pops up" on, QI, Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You?, are produced by third party production companies (Talkback, Hat Trick, Zeppotron). They are not in house BBC productions. Technically, appearing as a guest on a panel show isn't a BBC project "directly involving" him; it is a booking made by an external company for a commissioned show.

I don't think I can agree with your interpretation there. I expect the wording is a way to not preclude them from having his production company make shows for them, which they do.

 

[Islander]

It's also worth scrutinising the specific wording of that BBC statement: "We have no future projects directly involving David Walliams."

Most of the shows he "pops up" on, QI, Have I Got News For You, Would I Lie To You?, are produced by third party production companies (Talkback, Hat Trick, Zeppotron). They are not in house BBC productions. Technically, appearing as a guest on a panel show isn't a BBC project "directly involving" him; it is a booking made by an external company for a commissioned show.

Come on goose, you know this logic is nonsense.

Yes, those panel shows are all produced by third party production companies. But they are inherently BBC products in the eyes of the public, and the BBC will categorically have a say in who is, or rather is not, included in these shows.

For them to say they have no plans to use him moving forward, but then (in this hypothetical situation) for him to appear in BBC shows produced by third parties, would be suicide.

 

[GooseOnTheLoose]

Come on goose, you know this logic is nonsense.

Yes, those panel shows are all produced by third party production companies. But they are inherently BBC products in the eyes of the public, and the BBC will categorically have a say in who is, or rather is not, included in these shows.

For them to say they have no plans to use him moving forward, but then (in this hypothetical situation) for him to appear in BBC shows produced by third parties, would be suicide.

I am not suggesting that they will book him, they almost certainly won't for the foreseeable future because the optics would indeed be radioactive, but I am explaining exactly what that specific arrangement of weasel words actually means.

The BBC is an institution which runs on bureaucracy and liability avoidance. "Suicide" implies a dramatic death, whereas the BBC prefers death by a thousand committee meetings.

There is a distinct difference between "We have banned David Walliams", which opens a legal can of worms regarding blacklisting, and "We have no future projects directly involving David Walliams", which is a statement of current administrative fact.

When the BBC says "projects directly involving", in Civil Service speak (which permeates the Corporation), they usually mean commissions. They mean they aren't green lighting The David Walliams Show or Gangsta Granny 3.

Panel shows are a different beast. A third-party production company (like Zeppotron for Would I Lie to You?) casts the show. The BBC Compliance department has a veto, yes, but the contract for the appearance is with the production company, not the BBC.

My point was not that he is about to pop up on The One Show next week, but rather that the BBC’s statement was carefully calibrated to distance themselves from him as a "BBC Talent" or a creative partner, without technically ruling out the freelance ecosystem entirely should the heat die down in three years.

It is nonsense to the public, I agree, but to a BBC lawyer, it is a safety net.

 

[Dan12345]

Maybe I am, does feel like he pops up everywhere on panel and celebrity shows to me

Look at his IMDb page: he appears on panel and talk shows a lot less then you would think, and as Goose suggests they seem to be primarily on ITV, with only 2 “Self” BBC appearances in 2025 and 1 in 2024 from what I can tell

He hasn’t been significantly on BBC for a long time, there is nothing to suggest that a 4 month gap between appearances is anything to fuel any sort of conspiracy

 

[Pharaoh]

It sort of blows my mind Towers went for this IP in the first place. This news has been an open secret in the entertainment industry for a long time. Either Merlin didn’t conduct any background research or decided they didn’t care about his actions.

 

[Dave]

It sort of blows my mind Towers went for this IP in the first place. This news has been an open secret in the entertainment industry for a long time. Either Merlin didn’t conduct any background research or decided they didn’t care about his actions.

There where certainly rumours but I would say they hit hard the year Walliams world opened.

I doubt Merlin where that in tune with the celebrity rumour mill.

 

[Benzin]

There where certainly rumours but I would say they hit hard the year Walliams world opened.

I doubt Merlin where that in tune with the celebrity rumour mill.

Part of the due diligence a company should be doing if using an external IP would be to see if there's any potential problematic issues surrounding the brand or persons involved.

 

[Dave]

Part of the due diligence a company should be doing if using an external IP would be to see if there's any potential problematic issues surrounding the brand or persons involved.

vague rumours that started after the project started are not going to count under due diligence.

 

[Benzin]

vague rumours that started after the project started are not going to count under due diligence.

Risk you take when you associate your brand with any single individual.