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MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER IN THE STORY OF BILLIONAIRE BOY IS MRS TRAFE, THE DINNER LADY AND I ACTUALLY PLAYED HER IN THE TV ADAPTION. BASICALLY IN THE STORY SHE ASKS JOE FOR MONEY AND SHE SAYS SHE NEEDS FOR A HIP OPERATION BUT SPENDS IT ON PLASTIC SURGERY.
If I gave you one billion pounds to spend however you liked and you had to spend it today, what would you spend it on? There’s one thing that Joe Spud, who is the billionaire boy, has in the book which is a water slide going down from his bedroom to a swimming pool. He just gets out of bed and goes straight down a water slide. That is something I don’t have and it really pains me. So if I had a billion pounds to spend today I’d get that water slide because water slides are so much fun. I love them!
Apart from Joe Spud who is your favourite character in Billionaire Boy? My favourite character in the story of Billionaire Boy is Mrs Trafe, the dinner lady and I actually played her in the TV adaption. Basically in the story she asks Joe for money and she says she needs for a hip operation but spends it on plastic surgery. So it was a lot of fun creating her horrible school dinners and also a lot of fun giving her the surgery in the book and seeing what she does with the money. It highlights the fact that Joe’s in a pretty difficult predicament because everyone is asking him for money and they all have good reasons why they need it. But at the same time money is quite a corrupting thing and it makes people do bad things and lie to him. So Mrs Trafe is really a side character but she does something pretty important in the story.
David Walliams has become one of today’s most influential writers. Since the publication of his first novel, The Boy in the Dress (2008), illustrated by the iconic Sir Quentin Blake, David Walliams has celebrated more than ten years of writing success with global sales exceeding 40 million copies, and his books have been translated into fifty-three languages. David’s titles have spent 190 weeks (non-consecutive) at the top of the children’s charts – more than any other children’s author ever.
In addition to his fiction, David has worked with Tony Ross on five bestselling short-story collections, The World’s Worst series, as well as seven picture books. In 2020, David formed a new partnership with award-winning illustrator Adam Stower for his eighth picture book, Little Monsters.
This month he talks to Live 24-Seven about his work.
What is it like seeing your books come to life? It’s the most brilliant thing, seeing a book that you’ve written come to life either on television or on stage. You feel like a magician because what was in your head is somehow now all real, right in front of you, so it is a very, very exciting thing. I am delighted that families will have the opportunity to see some live theatre again. The show is hilarious and I hope spreads some happiness in these difficult times.
LIVE24-SEVEN.COM
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ENTERTAINMENT DAVID WAL L IAMS
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