Walliams & Friend | |
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Genre | Comedy show Sketch show |
Created by | David Walliams Dawson Bros. |
Starring |
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Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 1 (and 1 pilot) |
No. of episodes | 7 |
Production | |
Running time | 40 minutes (pilot) 30 minutes (series) |
Production company | BBC |
Original release | |
Network | BBC One |
Release | 24 December 2015 27 December 2016 | –
Walliams & Friend is a British sketch show, produced by and starring David Walliams. A pilot episode aired on BBC One on 24 December 2015 [1] and a full series of 6 episodes was officially commissioned on 20 May 2016, which first aired on 25 November 2016.[2] BBC announced that Walliams & Friend was cancelled after the first series.[3]
Episodes
Series | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
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First aired | Last aired | |||
Pilot | 24 December 2015 | |||
1 | 6 | 25 November 2016 | 27 December 2016 |
Pilot episode (2015)
Total no. |
Series no. |
Title | Director | Writer | Original air date | UK viewers (overnight/incl catch-up in millions) | |||
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1 | Pilot | "Joanna Lumley" | Matt Lipsey | David Walliams & Dawson Bros. | 24 December 2015 | 6.0[4] | |||
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Series 1 (2016)
Total no. |
Series no. |
Title | Director | Writer | Original air date | UK viewers (overnight/incl catch-up in millions) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 1 | "Jack Whitehall"[5] | Matt Lipsey | David Walliams & Dawson Bros. | 25 November 2016 | 5.6 | ||
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3 | 2 | "Harry Enfield"[6] | Matt Lipsey | David Walliams & Dawson Bros. | 2 December 2016 | 5.1 | ||
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4 | 3 | "Sheridan Smith"[7] | Matt Lipsey | David Walliams & Dawson Bros. | 9 December 2016 | 5.2 | ||
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5 | 4 | "Meera Syal"[8] | Matt Lipsey | David Walliams & Dawson Bros. | 16 December 2016 | 4.8 | ||
David Walliams is joined by actress, writer and comedian Meera Syal. Together for the first time, these two classic sketch performers introduce us to the sadly disappointing pleasure robots of tomorrow. David and Meera also play a squabbling husband and wife, debates about Justin Bieber's hairstyle, commissions a prime-time TV entertainment show, desperately trying to explain their problematic marriage to their young daughter using her Peppa Pig dolls. Plus a struggling actress auditions for the role of background extra in the evening news and a robber meets his match in the BBC's newest police drama Good Cop, Indian Mum Cop. Absent:- Middle Class Jeremy Kyle
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6 | 5 | "Miranda Richardson"[9] | Matt Lipsey | David Walliams & Dawson Bros. | 23 December 2016 | 3.10 | ||
David Walliams is joined by actress Miranda Richardson where they promote an advert for Hurt Feelings Direct, chooses a Christmas film to watch together that they don't agree on, introduces viewer Gillian Turner who loves Ant but hates Dec, a man refuses to pay 5p for a carrier bag at a supermarket by stuffing his items on his body, suggests an unlikely blockbuster movie starring Harry Potter & James Bond alongside choosing a new car, with "additional extras". Absent:- Il Prima Donnas.
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7 | 6 | "Hugh Bonneville"[11] | Matt Lipsey | David Walliams & Dawson Bros. | 27 December 2016 | 2.3 | ||
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Reception
The Times described the show as "Exceptionally accomplished, with every sketch sharply observed and superbly performed",[12] while The Independent made similar comparisons: "Worthy of Messrs Barker and Corbett at their best". The Guardian noted that the show "Thrives on charm and silliness and points a way for the sketch show to continue to exist on television".[13] The Sunday People declared "The good old sketch show is back."[14] while The Daily Telegraph said "David Walliams goes back to basics here with a series of comedy sketches that will remind many why they first found him funny.". However, later in the show's run, The Times's Andrew Billen predicted of the sketch genre that "Even Harry Enfield and David Walliams couldn't save the sketch show".[15]
References
- ^ Rachel Babbage (12 September 2015). "Joanna Lumley joins David Walliams' new BBC sketch show". Digital Spy.
- ^ Solutions. "BBC orders Walliams & Friend series : News 2016 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ^ "David Walliams: 'I'm going to pull out all the stops on The Nightly Show!'". 21 February 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "BBC - David Walliams returns to BBC One with some familiar faces for new series, Walliams And Friend - Media Centre". Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Walliams & Friend Series 1, Episode 1 - Jack Whitehall - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Walliams & Friend Series 1, Episode 2 - Harry Enfield - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Walliams & Friend Series 1, Episode 3 - Sheridan Smith - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Walliams & Friend Series 1, Episode 4 - Meera Syal - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Walliams & Friend Series 1, Episode 5 - Miranda Richardson - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "BBC 2016".
- ^ "Walliams & Friend Series 1 - Hugh Bonneville - British Comedy Guide". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Andrew Dawson on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ "Walliams & Friend review – ooh matron, it's Sheridan Smith's turn". Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ "FRIDAY NOVEMBER 25; TV GUIDE. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
- ^ "Low ratings, dismal reviews: the show's over". Retrieved 23 February 2017.