David Walliams’ 2016 BBC One sketch show paired the comedian with a different star guest each week: Joanna Lumley in the pilot, followed by Jack Whitehall, Sheridan Smith, Harry Enfield, Meera Syal and Barry Chuckle. Episodes mixed recurring characters with one-off parodies, from a Bond pastiche to Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood trading suggestive innuendo over soggy bottoms. Critics initially welcomed the format, The Times calling it “exceptionally accomplished” and The Guardian praising its “charm and silliness”, yet ratings slid and the corporation quietly axed the series after six episodes, leaving the pilot’s 6 million viewers a high it never matched.
Produced by the BBC and written by Walliams with the Dawson Bros., the half-hour programmes arrived at a moment when mainstream sketch shows were scarce, giving the project an air of last-ditch rescue mission for the genre. Walliams reprised his knack for grotesque caricatures honed in Little Britain, but the rotating-guest structure meant sketches were built for quick celebrity cameos rather than sustained characters, producing flashes of sharpness without the repeat power that turns sketches into catchphrases. The result felt like a variety night rather than a cohesive comic world, and the Sunday People’s declaration that “the good old sketch show is back” rang premature when the schedule was empty again by New Year’s Day.
Production Details
BBC One / 1 Season / 6 Episodes / 2016 - Present
Main Cast
David Walliams as Host
Jason Lewis as Assorted
Barry Chuckle as Self
Meera Syal as Various
Sheridan Smith as Various
Harry Enfield as Various
Jack Whitehall as Various
