As David Walliams looks ahead to a lonely Christmas, a PR expert has shed light on the transitional period he faces, against a backdrop of lost friendships and shifting tastes in comedy
Once the toast of talent show television, David Walliams is now looking ahead to a lonely Christmas, and a PR expert warns he could be in for a “brutal reset”.
While discussing his new children’s book, Santa & Son, the former Little Britain star spoke about spending Christmas Day away from his 12-year-old son, Alfred, whom he co-parents with ex-wife Lara Stone.
David, 58, shared: “I don’t have him for Christmas. I was thinking a bit about sometimes the pain you feel as a parent when you don’t have your child at Christmas.”
This comes at a transitional time for David, three years on after disparaging off-camera comments he made about Britain’s Got Talent contestants were leaked. This included one incident where he referred to a pensioner as a ‘c***’ while filming the 2020 series.
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Comedian and writer David apologised for the “disrespectful comments”, which were made during filming breaks, and subsequently announced his departure from the long-running ITV show, where he’d been a fixture for ten years.
Remarking upon this relatively quiet new chapter in David’s career, PR to the stars Mayah Riaz told the Mirror: “When it comes to David Walliams, this is a classic case of a public figure going through a period of reset. Fame can be incredibly loud, then suddenly very quiet, and that shift can feel brutal.”
With the dust from the initial controversy somewhat settled, David is reportedly still rather distant from his old showbiz pals, including his once-close friend, Simon Cowell, whom a source claims he no longer speaks to “at all”. But what effect will this distancing have on his future prospects in the limelight?
On this note, personal branding expert Mayah reflected: “The distance from Simon Cowell is interesting because that relationship once acted as a powerful engine for David and his visibility.
“When a star steps away from a partnership like that, it is not just a personal shift. It has a ripple effect on their public momentum, too. Losing that sort of alliance will have the industry wondering what the next chapter for him will look like.”
Of course, audience tastes have changed dramatically since the first episode of Little Britain first aired back in 2003, and jokes, particularly those which feel as though they might be punching down or otherwise insensitive, are viewed through a much different lens.
Indeed, back in 2020, the BBC removed Little Britain from iPlayer altogether after citing that “times have changed” since it was first broadcast. Both David and his co-star Matt Lucas expressed regret at the time for portraying people from other races, including sketches which saw them using Blackface.
According to Mayah: “The comedy world has changed so fast, and I’m not sure many performers were ready for that. What audiences once brushed off as cheeky or edgy now lands very differently. I think David was hit hard by that shift.
“He came from an era where the boundaries were looser, but now the cultural temperature is very different. Comedy has moved towards compassion and awareness, and he was caught in the middle of that evolution.”
However, Mayah believes there is still an opportunity for David to “write a new chapter for himself”, highlighting his talent for storytelling which audiences have long since admired.
Predicting a potential “redemption arc” ahead, Mayah considered: “I think there is always room for a comeback. The public can and do forgive, but they will want to see growth first. If David shows that he understands why the landscape has changed, he could easily write a new chapter for himself. People love a redemption arc.
“There is something very British about rooting for someone to get back up after a fall. Right now, though, he feels like a man in transition. It is a lonely place when the spotlight moves on, especially for someone who has lived inside it for so long. But isolation can also refocus a career.”
She continued: “Plenty of big names have stepped back, rebuilt quietly and then we see them return stronger. David is still a talented storyteller, and audiences have not forgotten that.
“If he uses this quieter period to reintroduce himself in a more grounded and contemporary way, then a comeback is absolutely on the table. The door is never truly closed in this industry. It just depends on how he chooses to walk back through it.”
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