1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,320 Speaker 1: Time for catch up with an old mate. David Williams 2 00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:04,880 Speaker 1: is meck Withather's lightest children's book just in time for Christmas, 3 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:08,159 Speaker 1: called Center and Sun Eds to his growing portfolio, he 4 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:11,120 Speaker 1: sold more than sixty million copies. For goodness sake, David 5 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:12,959 Speaker 1: Williams as well, there's good morning. 6 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:16,400 Speaker 2: Lovely to see you. I've missed you. Miss I've missed 7 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,760 Speaker 2: you too A year since. 8 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,279 Speaker 3: I've seen I was last year and it was the 9 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 3: highlight of my trip surprising you at the studio and 10 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 3: your sort of wife arranged this as if I were 11 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 3: some kind of kiss agram or something like that. I've 12 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:36,319 Speaker 3: come to delight you. But it's lovely to see you. 13 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 3: You're looking very well. 14 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,559 Speaker 1: Well, you're looking well as well. I note I'm a 15 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,600 Speaker 1: details person. Last time we interviewed each other via the zoom, 16 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 1: you were in exactly the same position, and I believe 17 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:50,480 Speaker 1: the glasses behind you were exactly the same. 18 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 3: I well, I have my position, I have my lighting 19 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 3: set up, I have my makeup and costume team right here, 20 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 3: and this this is the spot in my house that 21 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 3: I reserve for fa zooms. So yes, you can see 22 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 3: my glass where, some of which is incredibly nice and 23 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 3: incredibly camp including these glasses. 24 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 2: They have a little flamingo. I mean, what kind of 25 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 2: man owns that? 26 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 1: What are your serving lives? 27 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:18,760 Speaker 2: Me? 28 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:22,759 Speaker 3: When you have kids over like my son and these 29 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 3: having a little you know, tea party or something, you 30 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 3: you put a little bit of water in those just 31 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 3: to jazz things up. 32 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 2: A little bit. 33 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 3: Like say's a man who spends his life in skin 34 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 3: tight leather trousers criticizing my flamingo. 35 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:42,200 Speaker 1: I'm not criticizing him. I just want what drinks you 36 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 1: would serve in there? And you've got a lovely cup 37 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: as well. By the way, I saw a foight who. 38 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:51,480 Speaker 2: My willy beautiful rolled down? 39 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: Where are you at with your writing? 40 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 2: In terms? 41 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: Are you still challenged by it? 42 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 3: I love doing it. I mean it is challenging. I 43 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 3: think the more you do, you know you're constantly scared. 44 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 3: You think, oh my god, I'm going to run out 45 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 3: of ideas, or you think, oh God, this is too 46 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 3: similar to something I've already done. 47 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 2: The thing I try and do. 48 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 3: Is move away as far as I can from something 49 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 3: I've just done, because the thing is, you just. 50 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 2: Don't want to repeat yourself. 51 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 3: And a lot of the first books I wrote, they 52 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 3: were set in contemporary Britain, and they revolved around schools 53 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:29,920 Speaker 3: and things, and I created all these teacher characters, you know, 54 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:33,919 Speaker 3: all these head masters had mistresses and maths teachers and Frenchlyiesever, 55 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 3: I've got no more teachers. I can't think of any 56 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 3: more traits that would make teachers funny. So whether I 57 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:44,919 Speaker 3: just have to move away from that and find different stories. 58 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:49,399 Speaker 3: And so they've gone in all different directions to Victorian times, 59 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 3: into the future, the nineteen twenties, the nineteen forties, and 60 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,600 Speaker 3: that's really helped me, you know, just kind of each 61 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 3: time feel like I'm doing something new, because forty four 62 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:05,639 Speaker 3: books is a lot. I mean, it's quantity of equality mic, 63 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 3: but it's still a lot of different ideas. You know, 64 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:10,799 Speaker 3: It's not a series I've written each time. It's a 65 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:13,960 Speaker 3: different story, and so I sort of have to make 66 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 3: it difficult for myself just so I don't end up 67 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 3: going down the same path. 68 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 2: I love. 69 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 3: I love doing it. It's just sometimes you get stuck 70 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:26,959 Speaker 3: and you get really demoralized. But then you do something 71 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,679 Speaker 3: else and then you just you sit in a bath 72 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 3: or something and for some reason it just pops up 73 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 3: the idea. Mike the idea just pops up and your head. 74 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: Do you is the success still important? 75 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 2: Very much so more than. 76 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 3: Well, yeah, I mean, you know, it's the same effort 77 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 3: writing a book that one people, you know, one person 78 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 3: buys to the same effort as a million people buy, 79 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:56,240 Speaker 3: So it's exactly the same effort. And of course, I 80 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 3: I'm not I'm not. I'm not really competitive in any 81 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 3: big I don't see other people who do what I 82 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 3: do as sort of foes or anything. I'm perfectly pleased 83 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 3: with other people's success. But of course I want my 84 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 3: book to be well received. I want kids to enjoy it. 85 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 3: I want it to make people happy. I mean, the 86 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:17,600 Speaker 3: thing about doing a book is that you write the 87 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:20,239 Speaker 3: book on your own, and generally the books are read, 88 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:22,599 Speaker 3: you know, children read them on their own with parents 89 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 3: and stuff. But obviously it's not a thing. I'm not 90 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:28,000 Speaker 3: on a stage read I'm not getting immediate feedback. And 91 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:30,960 Speaker 3: so the lovely thing is is when I meet kids 92 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 3: at events and they tell me how much they enjoyed 93 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 3: the books, or a parent says comes up to me 94 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 3: and says, I couldn't get my child to read until 95 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 3: they've read one of your books. And I sent some 96 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:44,279 Speaker 3: books to a friend's kids and they said, well, they've 97 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:47,839 Speaker 3: already devoured three hundred pages tonight, and I was like, wow, okay, 98 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 3: the book must be okay, because kids, you know, to 99 00:04:52,360 --> 00:04:54,719 Speaker 3: read that much in one go and to want to 100 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 3: keep reading, you know, to have that sense of urgency 101 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:00,840 Speaker 3: that you need to whip through it is you know, 102 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 3: it's it's exciting to me, so you know. But ultimately, 103 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 3: I think with anything, and you could ask a lot 104 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 3: of greater people, this is like, ultimately what matters a 105 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 3: lot is how you feel about it. So I would 106 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 3: hate to turn out something that I thought was underpar 107 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 3: and I'd feel embarrassed. And I was talking to a 108 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:22,920 Speaker 3: friend of mine, Ragna, who's a crime writer who lives 109 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 3: in Iceland, and I said, you know, I woke up 110 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 3: in the middle of the night with just wanting to 111 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 3: change a line and he went, that's because you care, 112 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:32,040 Speaker 3: and I thought, yeah, that's good wad. Yeah, I thought 113 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:33,280 Speaker 3: it was a good way of putting it. Obviously he 114 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 3: cares too, all writers do, I'm sure, but yeah, that's 115 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 3: the weird thing. You're lying a bed at night and 116 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:40,800 Speaker 3: you just think, oh, that would be a better joke. 117 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 3: I've changed that in the morning and it's really really 118 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 3: like you it's two words or something. 119 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:50,520 Speaker 1: You're going to change now listen without without probing too much. No, no, no, 120 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: But your son Elfie does he Where is he in 121 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:56,360 Speaker 1: terms of does he think you're cool? 122 00:05:57,080 --> 00:05:57,159 Speaker 2: You? 123 00:05:57,320 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 1: And what you do? And you know Dad's Dad's a writer. 124 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: He's you know, is he get that age yit? Where 125 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: he's got them? 126 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 2: And now he's rolling his eyes every time I speak. 127 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:10,599 Speaker 3: Oh, I like that when I ask him to do something. 128 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 3: But it's very strange. You do have to tell children 129 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:15,920 Speaker 3: to do things like the other day, well yesterday actually 130 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:17,599 Speaker 3: was getting out of the car, is about to play rugby, 131 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 3: and it's like, you know, these got out of the 132 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 3: car with rugby, hasn't done up the laces. Are doing 133 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 3: it later, Dad, The sensible thing would be to do 134 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:29,560 Speaker 3: it now. But yeah, I mean I think he I 135 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:33,039 Speaker 3: think what's happened is he's twelve years old and so 136 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:36,279 Speaker 3: he's now even though I never said to him, I 137 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:38,599 Speaker 3: never really talked him about Little Britain or comply with me, 138 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 3: he's now in a situation with his friends at school 139 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 3: who are just finding these things themselves on YouTube or 140 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:46,680 Speaker 3: online or. 141 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:47,640 Speaker 2: Whatever, and. 142 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:53,039 Speaker 3: So He sort of got into it to my comedy 143 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 3: work through through his friends, not because his friends particularly, 144 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:59,039 Speaker 3: I don't care about me or no me, but just 145 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:01,640 Speaker 3: that when you're a twelve year old boy, you want 146 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 3: to start watching some rude comedy shows. 147 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:06,640 Speaker 2: So he's got into that now. But I find it odd. 148 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:08,360 Speaker 3: Because says daddy, you know, can we watch an episode 149 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:10,880 Speaker 3: of Little Britain? And I just find it odd sitting 150 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 3: there watching it with him, because I'm thinking, is he 151 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 3: finding this funny? 152 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 2: Does he understand this joke? Whatever? 153 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,240 Speaker 3: But no, I think he you know, we have a 154 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 3: lot of fun together. We have a very close relationship. 155 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 3: And the book is about the bond between a father 156 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:26,400 Speaker 3: and son, and it's also well this dad is a 157 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:29,800 Speaker 3: sort of deadbeat dad. But there's definitely a theme running 158 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 3: through about parents, separated parents, and the boy, you know, 159 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 3: basically he hasn't seen his dad for many years, and 160 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 3: he doesn't he going to you know. It's like he 161 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 3: sort of gets to spend Christmas with his dad but not. 162 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 3: And so I was thinking a bit about sometimes the 163 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:52,600 Speaker 3: pain you feel as a parent when you don't have 164 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 3: your child at Christmas. I was thinking about that because 165 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:59,080 Speaker 3: I think Christmas everyone there's a sort of thing we've 166 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 3: all got to be happy, but there's often sort of 167 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:03,880 Speaker 3: melancholy creeps in. 168 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 2: And I remember my dad died. 169 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 3: It was like seventeen years ago now, but sort of 170 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 3: in November, and I remember sort of dreading the first 171 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 3: Christmas without her, and it was just horrendous, you know, 172 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:19,720 Speaker 3: sitting around crying. And so it's one of these things, 173 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 3: isn't it. It's a time where sort of it's almost 174 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:25,280 Speaker 3: like you're forced to be happy, but it's not always 175 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 3: the happiest time, especially if something has gone on, like 176 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:29,280 Speaker 3: your breathement or something. 177 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 2: So I wanted a little bit of that. 178 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:35,480 Speaker 3: And it's a comedy, action adventure, but I like to 179 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 3: have a theme. 180 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 2: I like to make a point. 181 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:40,160 Speaker 3: It makes it interesting for me, and it means there 182 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:43,880 Speaker 3: is something for the reader to take away and to 183 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 3: discuss their parents, you know. 184 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:47,360 Speaker 2: I think that's important. 185 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 3: If I'm going to go to the effort of writing book, 186 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,559 Speaker 3: I want there to be some point to it. Sometimes 187 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:55,800 Speaker 3: they're just funny, sometimes they're silly. Sometimes they're just adventures. 188 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:58,000 Speaker 3: But I feel like if I'm going to write a 189 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:01,720 Speaker 3: Christmas story, it's got to have some resonance, you know. 190 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:04,680 Speaker 1: It's got there's got to be more than fun going on. 191 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:07,079 Speaker 1: Are you escaping Britain for Christmas? Are you off to 192 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 1: your villa and New Yorker? Portugal? 193 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 2: Spain? I call it more of a castle, But I'm 194 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:16,079 Speaker 2: not going there. 195 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 3: I'm I'm taking my son away before Christmas to the Maldives. 196 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:23,600 Speaker 2: There you go. 197 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:25,960 Speaker 3: But he's really into his scuba diving, so we're going 198 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:28,920 Speaker 3: to go diving together, and I'm very excited. I don't 199 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:31,360 Speaker 3: have him for Christmas, which is probably what I was 200 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:34,800 Speaker 3: just talking about just now, but I have my mom, 201 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 3: my sister, my nephews, so that's all good. But yeah, 202 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 3: I don't mind. London's quite exciting at Christmas, the run 203 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:45,439 Speaker 3: up to Christmas. This suddenly is the first. This is 204 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:48,240 Speaker 3: the first of December. Today, obviously the Christmas lights are up, 205 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:54,359 Speaker 3: the tree in Trafalgar Square goes up today, the pantomimes 206 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 3: are on, you know, the Christmas menus and the restaurants everything, 207 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:01,000 Speaker 3: and so it does become quite excited. I rather like 208 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,000 Speaker 3: I rather like being in London, and they run out 209 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:07,000 Speaker 3: to Christmas. But as soon as I've had my Christmas lunch, 210 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:09,360 Speaker 3: I'm ready for the whole thing to be over. I've 211 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:12,959 Speaker 3: had enough bit immediately, Well we've done it, we had 212 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:14,680 Speaker 3: the lunch, right, can we get on with something else? 213 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:17,559 Speaker 3: And you know, I find the time between Christmas and 214 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:19,760 Speaker 3: New Year an amazing time to get on with some work. 215 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 2: Oh really, because well. 216 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:25,200 Speaker 3: Because people aren't contacting you offices, CLO, you're not getting 217 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:27,679 Speaker 3: emails com fore, and it's an amazing time to get 218 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:28,520 Speaker 3: a lot of writing done. 219 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:31,079 Speaker 2: So I will finishing off my new book. 220 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:33,320 Speaker 1: Then all right, well listen, you go, well, you have 221 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 1: a fabulous Christmas, fabulous holidays, and we'll look forward to 222 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:39,119 Speaker 1: having you back on the program super soon. David Williams 223 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:42,040 Speaker 1: with us this Morning, Center and Sun. 224 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:45,360 Speaker 3: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, Listen live to 225 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:46,040 Speaker 3: news talks. 226 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:49,280 Speaker 1: It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast 227 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: on I Hard Radio