David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams (), is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television personality. He rose to prominence for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series Little Britain (2003–2006) and Come Fly with Me (2010–2011). From 2012 to 2022, Walliams was a judge on the television talent competition Britain's Got Talent. He is also a writer of children's books, having sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. Walliams wrote and starred in the BBC sitcom Big School (2013–2014). In 2015, he starred as Tommy Beresford in the BBC drama series Partners in Crime, and wrote and starred in the BBC sketch comedy series Walliams & Friend. He has received multiple National Television Awards for his work on Britain's Got Talent. Walliams was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to charity and the arts. His charity work includes swimming the English Channel, Strait of Gibraltar and River Thames, raising millions of pounds for the BBC charity event Sport Relief. Walliams began writing children's novels in 2008 after securing a contract with the publisher HarperCollins. His books have been translated into 53 languages, and he has been described as "the fastest-growing children's author in the UK", with a literary style compared to that of Roald Dahl. Several of his books have been adapted for television, in which he has also appeared. In 2025, HarperCollins ended their publishing contract with Walliams following an internal investigation into his alleged inappropriate behaviour and harassment towards junior female staff at the company. In 2026, HarperCollins confirmed that they will no longer be selling or reprinting his older books.