David Walliams has revealed his son is not a big fan of his books, and has joked that he may find his job “boring and naff” when he gets older.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge, who has son Alfred from his former marriage to Dutch model Lara Stone, is recognised as one of the most popular children’s authors of a generation.
His books, including 2008 debut The Boy In The Dress, and follow-ups Mr Stink, Gangsta Granny and Ratburger, have topped best-seller lists.
However, his five-year-old may not be among his millions of fans.
Who did @davidwalliams pretend to be in the playground? #wonderwoman #HayFestival2018 @HarperCollinsCh pic.twitter.com/krdRl7TQ9M
— Hay Festival (@hayfestival) May 26, 2018
When asked if his son loves his books, Walliams told the Hay Festival in Wales: “He doesn’t like them very much!
“He’s only five, so we are on the picture books, but I try not to push my books on to him too much.”
Walliams joked: “I also go into his school and read to all the kids, but I feel like, if I’m only pushing my books towards him and his classmates, they’re all going to be in therapy in years to come, and go, ‘Oh, I can only read my own father’s books!’
“If he wants to read them, we’ll read them together.”
Walliams said he hopes Alfred will enjoy his books when he gets older, adding: “But I do think if you’re a kid, if your dad does do something relatively interesting, you still find it incredibly boring and naff.
“(Children) roll their eyes at everything you do, so I’ve got that to look forward to!”
Speaking on stage at an event at the literary and arts festival in Hay-on-Wye on Saturday, Walliams told the audience, when asked if there was somebody at his school who was different: “There was someone different at my school – it was me.
“When I was at school there was a wonderful TV series of Wonder Woman, and I went to an all-boys’ school, but in the playground I wanted to play Wonder Woman.
“I still like to be Wonder Woman, it’s good to be different. Different is something we should all celebrate.”
He also said that he did not believe it when he first heard that Robbie Williams wanted to write songs for a stage version of his book The Boy In The Dress.
I am over the moon that my book with @QuentinBlakeHQ ‘The Boy in the Dress’ is being adapted into a stage musical with a book by Mark Ravenhill & songs by @guyachambers & @robbiewilliams It is being produced next year by @TheRSC & will be directed by Greg Doran.
— David Walliams (@davidwalliams) May 25, 2018
The former Take That star and Walliams are teaming up with the Royal Shakespeare Company on a stage musical of the novel, which was adapted into a TV film in 2014 by the BBC.
Walliams said: “It’s exciting, and you know what, they told me – and I know (Williams) a little bit – but they said Robbie Williams wants to write the songs.
“And I said, ‘I think I’ll believe it when I hear them, because he’s so busy he’s never going to have the time to do it.’
“Then I went to a workshop before the end of last year, and him and Guy Chambers – his songwriting partner – they’d written like, 28 incredible songs.”
Walliams added that the production will be in Stratford-upon-Avon next Christmas, and they then hope to take The Boy In The Dress to London and on tour.