David Walliams talks about the return of Gangsta Granny and how his son inspires his stories

Virgin Radio

15 Dec 2021, 14:04

The author and former Britain’s Got Talent judge joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky this morning to talk about Gangsta Granny Strikes Again! and where the inspiration for his stories comes from.

When the first book was released back in 2011, it quickly became a bestselling children’s novel and has sold a total of just under 1.9 million copies to date.

The story follows a boy called Ben, who is made to stay at his boring grandma’s house. All she seems to want to do is play Scrabble and eat cabbage soup.

However, Ben soon discovers his grandma isn’t as dull as she seems and was once an international jewel thief. Now, she is plotting to steal the Crown Jewels and needs Ben’s help.

Ten years later, Gangsta Granny is back and better than ever, and Chris admitted to David even his own children were excited about the release.

He said: “My kids have already read it. They absolutely adore it.

“Noah read it in one sitting…three and a half hours. He said, ‘Nobody talk to me. I’m reading the brand new Gansta Granny book.’”

The new book comes with a twist at the end, and talking about the plot, David said: “This is set a year after the first book.

“Ben, who is the grandson in the first book, gets accused of these crimes that are happening all over the country where precious jewels are being stolen.

Because he was involved before with his granny in Sydney with the crown jewels, the finger of blame is pointing at him. So, he has to become a detective and find out who the new Gangsta Granny is. And that is the twist. That's the thing.”

According to David, the twist is a big one, but he’s been having trouble keeping it under wraps after spilling the secret to his son, Alfred.

He laughed: “My son, who knows the secret of the book, is telling every child that we meet in the park what the twist is. Because of course we say don't tell anyone about what happens, and they immediately tell everyone.”

David says his son, who is eight, is now of the perfect age to read his books, but he joked he doesn’t want to pressure him and lets him choose.

The Little Britain star did say, however, that his son was becoming more involved in his books and has even inspired Walliams’ recent novel Mega Monsters.

He said: “We were walking in the park one day, and he [Alfred] said, ‘Daddy, wouldn’t it be great if there was a monster made up of all the different monsters in the world and you could call it the mega monster?’

“That is the kind of idea that only a kid would have, and I thought, ‘Mega Monster, that’s a great idea.’

“Then he goes, ‘Daddy, you can do the writing and write this story, but I’ll come up with the ideas,’ and it’s great.”

David then joined Chris for the rest of the show, where he spoke to Peter Crouch and Gary Barlow- so make sure you listen on catch up.

Gangsta Granny Strikes Again! is out now.

For more great interviews listen to, The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky, weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or catch up on-demand here.