142-454: Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is an English actor and comedian. He is best known for his work with David Walliams on the BBC sketch comedy series Little Britain (2003–2006) and Come Fly with Me (2010–2011). Lucas first came to prominence on the comedy panel show Shooting Stars , in which he portrayed scorekeeper George Dawes from 1995 to 2009. From 2015 to 2017, he portrayed
284-489: A "sad Irish song." His maternal grandmother was permanently taken from her family at age six after being found outside the family home alone, and placed into an Industrial School . His great uncle Thomas Bryan was executed at Mountjoy Prison in 1921 during the Irish War of Independence . According to Boy George's mother, who published a memoir in 2007, Jerry O'Dowd was physically and mentally abusive and beat her even when she
426-486: A 'portly Thai bride' called Ting Tong." This was prompted after Netflix and BBC iPlayer removed the show from their catalogues. Lucas is a patron of the Karen Morris Memorial Trust, a UK charity for leukaemia patients and their families. In April 2003, he appeared on Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and won £62,500 for the charity. Lucas is gay. He first suspected his sexuality at age seven. At
568-401: A BBC Three interview aired on February 9, 2011, it was revealed that the creators had considered including Carol Beer, the travel agent character from Little Britain. However, they chose not to include her to avoid the impression that Come Fly with Me was just a spinoff. Instead, they introduced an entirely fresh cast of characters. On 28 March 2012, Lucas appeared as the "Generation X" guest on
710-512: A Chinese boy called Brian Wong" who is "never, ever wrong". Ma, who also called out the story for its "casual racism", talked in May with representatives of HarperCollins , who agreed to remove the story in future editions of the book. The book was later republished in 2022, with a new story about Charlie the Chucker, who "delights in pelting people with snowballs". On 28 April 2022, Walliams' next book in
852-501: A DJ in the late 1990s, Boy George adopted a macrobiotic diet , which he had been attempting to follow since 1988. In 2001, he published the Karma Cookbook , a macrobiotic cookbook co-written with Dragana Brown, whom Boy George met in 1986. Boy George appeared on an episode of BBC television genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? in 2018, on which it was revealed that he was related to executed Irish revolutionary Thomas Bryan ,
994-616: A Laugh? TV and Disability on BBC Two , and the ITV2 series Top Dog Model . In 2013, Walliams appeared in two episodes of the comedy series Blandings as Rupert Baxter , an efficiency expert hired to serve as Lord Emsworth 's secretary. Also that year, and in 2014, Walliams starred as chemistry teacher Keith Church in the BBC One sitcom Big School , which he created and co-wrote. The series also starred Catherine Tate , Frances de la Tour and Philip Glenister . In March 2014 Walliams narrated
1136-467: A London nightclub run by Steve Strange and Rusty Egan . The pop artists that inspired him were Siouxsie and the Banshees , Roxy Music , Patti Smith , and the two major glam rock pioneers, David Bowie , and T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan . On the impact of Bolan and Bowie on him, Boy George said: They represented a kind of bohemian existence that I – at that point – could only imagine living. I loved
1278-485: A Man , Boy George stated that he was in fact gay, not bisexual, and that he had secret relationships with punk rock singer Kirk Brandon and Culture Club drummer Jon Moss . He stated that many of the songs he wrote for Culture Club were about his relationship with Moss. In the 2008 documentary Living with Boy George , he talked about his first realisation he was gay, when he first told his parents, and why men fall in love with one another as well as with women. As two of
1420-491: A Manhattan judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Boy George after he failed to appear in court for a hearing on why Boy George wanted to change his sentence for the false burglary report. Boy George's attorney informed the court that he had advised Boy George not to appear at that hearing. On 14 August 2006, Boy George reported to the New York City Department of Sanitation for his court-ordered community service. As
1562-517: A Miracle ", " The War Song ", " Move Away " and " I Just Wanna Be Loved ". Boy George was the lead singer of Jesus Loves You between 1989 and 1992 and still performs solo and with Culture Club, who have reformed twice since initially parting ways in 1986. He began his career as a DJ in the mid 1990s. Outside of music, Boy George's other creative activities involve mixed media art, writing books, designing clothes and photography. He has also made several appearances in television, most recently appearing as
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#17328585977941704-447: A boy called Jack trying to rescue his Grandpa who suffers from Alzheimer's disease from a care home run by an evil matron. The book was adapted for BBC One , with the script written by Walliams and Kevin Cecil , and starring Tom Courtenay as Grandpa. This book, although set in the 1980s like Awful Auntie is, sees the return of Raj the newsagent. The same year that Grandpa's Great Escape
1846-913: A car at the age of 6. When Lucas was 22, his father died of a heart attack. Lucas was educated at Aylward Primary School and Haberdashers' Boys' School in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire . He studied drama at the University of Bristol between 1992 and 1995, although he did not complete his degree. He also spent time with the National Youth Theatre , where he met his future collaborator David Walliams . Lucas's association with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer began in 1992. He appeared in The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer in 1995, and went on to star with them in Shooting Stars . He quickly rose to fame as George Dawes,
1988-615: A ceremony in Central London in December 2006, he entered into a civil partnership with Kevin McGee. In attendance were Barbara Windsor , Neil Tennant , Elton John , and Courtney Love . They separated and had their civil partnership dissolved through the High Court in 2008. Lucas was raised as Jewish but has variously described himself as an atheist and a "fairly secular Jew ". In 2022, he
2130-524: A contestant on the 22nd UK series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in November 2022, eventually finishing in 8th place. As a solo artist, Boy George has released nine studio albums, five compilation albums and forty-eight singles . He has also released seven DJ albums, three EPs and a soundtrack album. His solo hit songs include " Everything I Own ", " Bow Down Mister ", " Generations of Love " and " Love Is Leaving " and " The Crying Game ", from
2272-416: A contestant on the 22nd UK series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! . During his appearance on the show, Boy George expressed discomfort about appearing on the show with former UK health secretary Matt Hancock , mentioning that his mother had been in hospital while the country was under a COVID-19 lockdown . He said that he would have withdrawn from the show had his mother died in hospital. In
2414-554: 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 . Some of his books have been adapted into television films, which he has also appeared in, including Mr Stink (2012), Gangsta Granny (2013) and Billionaire Boy (2016). As of 2023, Walliams book sales stand at over 50 million copies sold worldwide. Walliams
2556-482: A conversation with Seann Walsh , Boy George said that he found Hancock "slimy and slippery" and later told Hancock that he found it difficult to "separate" the politician from the person. He was eliminated from the show on 22 November on the seventeenth day, finishing in 8th place. During February–May 2024, Boy George portrayed Harold Zidler in the Moulin Rouge! musical. Concurrently with developing his career as
2698-706: A documentary on the life of Boy George. The American tour which was planned for July/August 2008 had to be cancelled because he had been denied a United States visa due to a pending London court case scheduled for November 2008. On 2 July six concert dates in South America were announced. Boy George participated in RETROFEST held in Scotland in August 2008, and a 30-date UK tour took place in October/November 2008. In 2009, he signed
2840-682: A fictional series of awards based on nominations by his guests. On 3 October 2010, Lucas played Thénardier in the 25th Anniversary Concerts of Les Misérables , at the O2 Arena in London. A year later, from 23 June to 10 September 2011, he reprised the role at the Queen's Theatre , in the West End. He has since collaborated with Alfie Boe , who played Jean Valjean , to record a duet of "The Impossible Dream" on Boe's debut album. Also in 2011, Lucas lent his voice to
2982-535: A giant baby (often dressed in an adult-sized romper suit ) who would deliver a string of meaningless gags and insults before delivering the teams' scores, while sitting at and playing a drum kit. He also appeared on occasion as Marjorie Dawes , George's mother, who also appears in Little Britain . He again appeared with Reeves & Mortimer in the BBC TV series Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) and Catterick , in
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#17328585977943124-418: A member of the " Forgotten Ten ". As of 2012 , Boy George has credited his practice of Nichiren Buddhism and chanting Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō for his newfound spiritual strength to remain sober. Boy George has said: "I'm Catholic in my complications and Buddhist in my aspirations." Boy George has multiple tattoos, including a Christian cross on the side of his face and a Jewish Star of David tattooed on
3266-484: A mentor. His final act, Cody Frost, finished third place overall. Boy George left the series after just one season and later went on to join The Voice Australia as a coach for its sixth season to replace The Madden Brothers . His final contestant, Hoseah Partsch , was the runner-up. He returned for the show's seventh season , in 2018, its eighth season , in 2019 where his final contestant, Diana Rouvas won
3408-568: A music video for the Pet Shop Boys single " I'm with Stupid ", in which the two are apparently auditioning their version of the song's video for Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe , who are tied up and appear to be hostages. The pair are best known for Little Britain , which ran from 2003 to 2009 on the BBC in the UK and from 2008 onwards on HBO in the US. The programme first aired on BBC Three before moving to
3550-671: A new record deal subsequently releasing the album Ordinary Alien – The Kinky Roland Files in the autumn of 2010. The album consisted of previously recorded tracks mixed by long-time dance partner Kinky Roland. He took part in Night of the Proms , which is a series of concerts held yearly in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain which consist of a combination of pop music and popular classical music (often combined). Boy George's 2012 appearances included
3692-454: A photography session with Boy George. Carlsen claimed that he had been handcuffed to a wall fixture and beaten with a metal chain during their next meeting, although Boy George has always maintained that only the handcuffing was true and that he never beat Carlsen. Defence counsel presented the effects of his long-term drug use as a mitigating factor. On 16 January 2009, Boy George was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment for these offences. He
3834-723: A public information campaign on digital switchover . On 26 November 2006 he appeared on the BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs . He made a cameo appearance in Shaun of the Dead as Tom, the cousin of Shaun's friend Yvonne. In 2007, he released " I'm Gonna Be ", originally by The Proclaimers , with Peter Kay as a charity single for Comic Relief . He performed the single as Little Britain character Andy Pipkin , along with Kay playing as Brian Potter . He also starred as Mr. Toad in The Wind in
3976-474: A result of the intense media coverage, he was allowed to finish his community service inside the Sanitation Department grounds. In March 2023, a settlement was reached by the four original members of Culture Club, who agreed that George, Hay, and Craig would pay Moss £1.75 million, after he had filed a lawsuit against his former bandmates for lost income due to having allegedly been "expelled" from
4118-542: A result, two members of Culture Club replaced him with vocalist Sam Butcher. Boy George expressed his displeasure. After only one showcase and one live show, the project was shelved. On 27 January 2011, Boy George announced to the BBC that there would be a 30th anniversary Culture Club reunion tour sometime later in the year, and that they would be releasing a new album in 2012. Although the 2011 tour never took place, Culture Club did play two live concerts, in Dubai and Sydney ,
4260-467: A role in Boy George 's musical Taboo at The Venue in London. He played the performance artist Leigh Bowery . Little Britain is Lucas' most commercially successful work. The show came about when trainee BBC radio producer Ashley Blaker , tasked with coming up with ideas for a television or radio series, bumped into Lucas in London. The two were old friends from Haberdashers' and Lucas took Blaker to
4402-623: A segment of the Sport Relief telethon in 2012 , co-hosting the 22:00–22:40 slot with Miranda Hart when the show moved over to BBC Two while the BBC News at Ten was aired. Walliams also co-hosted the 2014 Sport Relief telethon. This time, he hosted the earlier slot between 19:00–22:00 with Gary Lineker and later Davina McCall . On 4 July 2006 Walliams swam the English Channel for Sport Relief. It took him 10 hours and 34 minutes to swim
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4544-645: A short video for the charity, Electrical Safety First , featuring the character Charley from the Charley Says educational films of the 1970s. For Comic Relief 2015 , Walliams appeared as Lou Todd and Stephen Hawking in the Andy Pipkin role along with Catherine Tate as a nun. In 2015, coinciding with the 125th anniversary of Agatha Christie 's birth, Walliams played the role of Tommy Beresford in Partners in Crime ,
4686-488: A six-part BBC series. In September 2015, Walliams began filming for his BBC sketch show Walliams & Friend , which also starred Joanna Lumley and Morgana Robinson and premiered on Christmas Eve in 2015. The show returned for a full series in November 2016. Walliams hosted the final comedy show Thrills and Spills in December 2016. The final was held in Louisville , Kentucky . In December 2016, Walliams presented
4828-496: A small role in Country House by Blur David Walliams David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams ( / ˈ w æ l j ə m z / ), is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known 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
4970-622: A song co-written with Ivor Novello Award –winning songwriter Amanda Ghost , who also co-wrote " You're Beautiful " with James Blunt . Later in 2007, two electronica/dance collaborations were released in limited editions. On 25 February 2007, Boy George was special guest DJ at LGBT nightspot the Court Hotel in Perth , Australia. On 4 March 2007, he performed as a DJ at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney for
5112-445: A song, "Fade In/Fade Out", in honour of Walliams' achievement; it can be found on their self-titled album , released on 9 October 2006. On 7 March 2008 Walliams, along with James Cracknell , swam the 12-mile (19 km) Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco , again for Sport Relief. He successfully completed the swim in just over 4½ hours. In March 2010 Walliams and a group of celebrities cycled an end-to-end journey through
5254-715: A suave and dangerous manipulator in Stephen Poliakoff 's Capturing Mary . He portrayed comedian Frankie Howerd in the BBC Four television film Rather You Than Me . In 2010, Walliams appeared with Paul Rudd and Steve Carell in the comedy Dinner for Schmucks . Walliams played the strange mole-like alien Gibbis in the sixth series of Doctor Who , in the episode " The God Complex ", broadcast on BBC One in 2011. In April 2012 Walliams appeared in an episode of ITV's Perspectives programme entitled "David Walliams: The Genius of Dahl". Also in 2012, he narrated Are You Having
5396-457: A trained orangutan who serves as his butler, but there is just one thing he really needs: a friend. The book included a 'billion pound note' that was used to enter a competition to win a day as a billionaire in London. This was the first of his books to be illustrated by Tony Ross. Walliams' fourth book, Gangsta Granny was released in October 2011 and again illustrated by Tony Ross . It tells
5538-671: A variety of roles. In 1999, Lucas paired with David Walliams , with whom he had already worked in Mash and Peas and Sir Bernard's Stately Homes , to create Rock Profile , a comedy show spoofing famous musical personalities. It is notable for being one of their first comedic collaborations. His music video appearances include the Damien Hirst -directed video for Blur 's " Country House ", "Jesusland" by Ben Folds in 2005, " I'm with Stupid " by Pet Shop Boys , and " Vindaloo " by Fat Les . Lucas ventured into stage musicals in 2002, when he took
5680-458: A version of Yoko Ono 's " Death of Samantha ". It was mixed by Dave Bascombe and features a string of guest musicians including DJ Yoda , Kitty Durham , Ally McErlaine , MC Spee and Nizar Al Issa. In 2015, BBC Four showed Boy George and Culture Club: From Karma to Calamity a film about a 2014 reunion, a new album, and a planned UK—US tour. In January 2016, Boy George joined the fifth series of The Voice UK , replacing Tom Jones as
5822-566: A vocalist on "Don't Go Changing Soho", a single by Jocasta's Tim Arnold for the Save Soho campaign. On 2 and 26 March 2020, through his YouTube channel, Boy George respectively released (as videos) 2 new solo songs entitled "Clouds" and "Isolation" taken from his forthcoming album Geminis Don't Read the Manual which was due to be released later in the year, but was postponed. On 6 April 2020 on his own record label BGP (Boy George Presents) he released
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5964-468: Is Lost", but was only released on a promo 12" in 1999. Boy George remained a figure in the public eye, starring in the London musical Taboo , based on the New Romantic scene of early 1980s England (Boy George did not play himself, opting instead to take on the persona of Australian-born performance artist Leigh Bowery ). Boy George was nominated for a Tony Award for the "Best Musical Score" and Taboo
6106-563: Is the son of Peter Williams (1936–2007), a London Transport engineer, and Kathleen Williams (née Ellis), a laboratory technician who worked at Sutton Grammar School . Walliams grew up in Banstead , Surrey , specifically in the residential area of Nork , with his mother, father and sister Julie. He was educated at Collingwood Boys' School in Wallington , and Reigate Grammar School in Surrey, where he
6248-517: The Gavin Report commented, "It's been said again and again that all any performer needs is the right material to have a hit. Boy George is just the right singer to resurrect this song". Boy George has also enjoyed a second career as a notable music DJ. His first gig as a DJ was at Phillip Sallon's new nightclub, Planets, located in London's Piccadilly . In the 1990s he came to the attention of rave/house promoters Fantazia who asked him to mix 1 of
6390-475: The Royal Variety Performance and a Christmas special episode of Blankety Blank , both shows for ITV. In 2017, Walliams guest presented five episodes of The Nightly Show for ITV. In 2017, Walliams, along with Rochelle Humes , were both confirmed as Voice Trumpets, joining the existing cast of Daniel Rigby , Antonia Thomas , Jim Broadbent , Fearne Cotton and Jane Horrocks In series 2 of
6532-558: The Groucho Club , where he told Blaker of his ideas for a sketch show. Little Britain was launched as a radio show on BBC Radio 4 and it later became a TV series. Among the many characters he plays in the series, which he writes and acts in along with David Walliams, are apparently "disabled" Andy Pipkin , teenage Bristol chav Vicky Pollard , homophobic homosexual Daffyd Thomas , and insensitive slimming club organiser Marjorie Dawes . In January 2005, Lucas and Walliams were named
6674-635: The Mardi Gras Festival. On 11 May 2007, he performed as a DJ at the launch party for the Palazzo Versace in Dubai , UAE . Boy George cancelled his planned 2007 October tour via an announcement on his official website. In 2007, he toured as a DJ, visiting many venues around the world. Boy George played a special residency at the Shaw Theatre in London from 23 January 2008, followed by a full UK tour. In April 2008, The Biography Channel featured
6816-684: The Melbourne International Arts Festival in October, both as featured guest DJ and also performing with Antony Hegarty in the festival's presentations of Swanlights , the Museum of Modern Art 's musical artwork commission, which had only been performed one night previously, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. In June 2013, a new song was released called "Coming Home". Mikey Craig, former bandmate in Culture Club, co-wrote
6958-577: The Power Station satellite channel called Blue Radio. In 1992, Boy George had a hit with the Pet Shop Boys –produced song " The Crying Game ", from the soundtrack for the film The Crying Game . The song reached number 22 in the UK Singles Chart, and number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Larry Flick from Billboard complimented Boy George's "genius reading" of the song. Dave Sholin from
7100-466: The Royal Albert Hall in London, Andy Bell of Erasure kissed Boy George on stage to cheers from the crowd, with Bell stating it was an act in protest against Section 28. In 1989, Boy George formed his own record label, More Protein , and began recording under the name Jesus Loves You , writing under the pseudonym Angela Dust, a word play on angel dust . He released several underground hits in
7242-632: The Sex Pistols ), who arranged for Boy George to perform with the group Bow Wow Wow . Going by the stage name Lieutenant Lush, his tenure with Bow Wow Wow proved problematic with lead singer Annabella Lwin . Boy George left the group and started his own band with bassist Mikey Craig . They were joined by Jon Moss (who had drumming stints with the Damned and Adam and the Ants ) and then guitarist Roy Hay . Originally they were named Sex Gang Children, but settled on
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#17328585977947384-540: The most powerful people in TV comedy by Radio Times . In 2005, he took his first role in a television drama, a supporting part as a Venetian duke in the BBC historical serial Casanova , written by Russell T Davies . Also in 2005, he did voice work in the ITV children's program King Arthur's Disasters alongside Rik Mayall . Since 2006, Lucas has been the voice of the radio and television character Digit Al , devised as part of
7526-481: The seventh series of Celebrity Big Brother (to be broadcast on Channel 4). His request was denied. Richard Clayton QC, representing the Probation Service, stated that Boy George's participation would pose "a high level of risk" to the service's reputation. Clayton argued that public confidence in the criminal justice system could be undermined if George earned "a lucrative sum" of money and used his appearance on
7668-690: The "Isolation" limited edition 2-track CD single including the title track and a new "Spatial Awareness Meets the Boy Uptown Dub" mix of the track "Clouds". In 2021, he was a guest on the BBC's Paul Weller – Live at the Barbican , joining Paul Weller and conductor Jules Buckley for a version of The Style Council 's " You're the Best Thing ". In September 2021, he became a judge on the Irish talent show The Big Deal . In November 2022, Boy George appeared as
7810-466: The 2015 Red House Children's Book Awards . Walliams' seventh children's book, Awful Auntie , was released on 25 September 2014. This was the story of a girl named Stella whose Auntie has moved into her house with her owl, Wagner. It is the first (and currently only) of Walliams' books to not include Raj the newsagent, due to the book being set in the 1930s before Raj was born. In September 2015 he released Grandpa's Great Escape . The story follows
7952-528: The 22-mile (35 km) stretch of sea, equivalent to 700 lengths of an Olympic-size swimming pool . This was wrongly reported as one of the top 50 recorded times for an unaided Channel crossing; in reality Walliams placed 167th at the time of crossing in only the CSA listings, excluding the CSPF listings. He raised over £1 million in donations. Under the supervision of his trainer, he trained for nine months to prepare for
8094-634: The Australian game show Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation . On 10 April 2012, Lucas's own BBC One show The Matt Lucas Awards began. It was a send-up of an awards program, with a panel of comedians giving their nominations for awards for a series of prizes concerning trivial topics. Lucas also starred in the dark comedy Small Apartments released in February 2013 alongside James Caan, Billy Crystal, Johnny Knoxville, and Juno Temple with other cameo performances by notable actors. On 21 February 2013, Lucas appeared on
8236-419: The BBC drama series Partners in Crime , and wrote and starred in the sketch comedy series Walliams & Friend . Walliams has won the award for Best TV Judge for his work on Britain's Got Talent at the 2015 , 2018 , 2019 and 2020 National Television Awards . In 2022, he was a judge on the tenth season of Australia's Got Talent . Walliams began writing children's novels in 2008 after securing
8378-587: The BBC series Doctor Who for its tenth series , reprising the character Nardole , which he had previously played in the 2015 and 2016 Christmas specials, " The Husbands of River Song " and " The Return of Doctor Mysterio " respectively. On 16 February 2017, Lucas was awarded an Honorary Degree "Doctor of Letters" by the University of Bristol, where he had studied for two years in the 1990s but had left before completing his degree course. On 3 October 2017, Lucas released his autobiography titled Little Me , published by Canongate Books in hardback. The paperback edition
8520-506: The BBC website. He took part in 19 episodes of "classic" TV panel shows. From 5 to 12 September 2011 Walliams swam the length of the River Thames (140 miles [230 km]) and raised more than £2 million for Sport Relief. Once he had got out of the river Walliams said "I think a bath is the only water I will be seeing for a while." The swim resulted in him getting giardiasis and injuring an intervertebral disc . In late 2013, Walliams had emergency back surgery to alleviate issues caused by
8662-402: The CGI film Gnomeo and Juliet and he played a small role as the roommate of Kristen Wiig in the comedy Bridesmaids . On Christmas Day 2010, the BBC premiered Lucas and David Walliams' latest series, Come Fly with Me . Unlike their previous work, Little Britain , this new show concentrated solely on the airline industry, with Walliams and Lucas each portraying several characters. In
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#17328585977948804-422: The Culture Club album Don't Mind if I Do . From 2002 to 2004, under the pseudonym "The Twin", Boy George experimented in electronica , releasing limited-edition 7" singles and promo records. The limited releases included four 7" singles, one limited 12" single (for "Sanitised") and a promo CD, a 13-track album Yum Yum . Two years later, it was released via digital outlets such as iTunes . An album recorded in
8946-452: The Featherz . On 19 August 2013, it was announced Boy George would release his new studio album of original material, This Is What I Do , his first in 18 years. The album was written by Boy George and long-time writing partners John Themis , Kevan Frost and Richie Stevens. Stevens produced the record at London's Cowshed Studios and it was released by Kobalt Label Services . The album also features writing collaborations with Youth , and
9088-422: The NBC series Community as Toby, an English friend of Abed Nadir . In 2014, Lucas played Ray Thomas in The Life of Rock with Brian Pern . Lucas launched a new comedy series called Pompidou for BBC Two . The show began airing on 1 March 2015. In May 2016, Lucas reprised his role as "Tweedledee/Tweedledum" in Tim Burton's Alice Through the Looking Glass , sequel to Alice in Wonderland. Lucas joined
9230-447: The Radio 2 Breakfast Show . From 10 August to 30 November 2019, Lucas appeared in Les Misérables at the Gielgud Theatre in London's West End, playing the role of Monsieur Thénardier in a fully staged concert adaptation of the musical. On 20 December 2019, Lucas returned to the role at the Sondheim Theatre , after actor Gerard Carey contracted vocal damage through pneumonia and was forced to pull out. On 10 January 2020, Lucas himself
9372-510: The Top 5 in the US. The band's third album, Waking Up with the House on Fire (UK No. 2, US No. 26), was not as big a hit as its predecessors internationally, but still achieved chart success. The first single, " The War Song ", was a No. 2 hit in the UK, but further singles performed below expectations. On 25 November 1984, Boy George provided a joint lead vocal role on the Band Aid charity single " Do They Know It's Christmas? " recorded at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill , west London. He
9514-416: The UK was "No Clause 28 (Emilio Pasqez Space Face Full Remix)", a protest song against a legal provision (Section 28) introduced by Margaret Thatcher 's Conservative government that prohibited the "promotion" of homosexuality by local authorities such as schools. The song was an underground acid house hit. In accepting the award for Best British Group from Boy George at the 1989 Brit Awards held at
9656-442: The UK, raising over £1 million for Sport Relief. Walliams suffered a serious fall when tackling the Kirkstone Pass , a thousand-foot climb in the Lake District but was able to complete the ride. In March 2011 Walliams undertook 24 Hour Panel People , in which he took part in back-to-back recordings of various panel show formats over the course of 24 hours to raise money for Comic Relief . The recordings were streamed live on
9798-448: The US. The following month, the band appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman and made an appearance in Britain, their first in 14 years. Later that year, the band hit the UK charts at No.4 with "I Just Wanna Be Loved" and later a top 25 hit with "Your Kisses are Charity". A new Culture Club album, Don't Mind If I Do , was released in 1999. In 2006, the band decided to again reunite and tour, but Boy George declined to join them. As
9940-452: The US. The single " Church of the Poison Mind " became a Top 10 hit, and " Karma Chameleon " was an international hit, peaking at No. 1 in 16 countries, and the top ten in additional countries. In the US it hit No. 1, where it stayed for three weeks. It was the best-selling single of 1983 in the United Kingdom , where it spent six weeks at No. 1 . "Victims" and "It's a Miracle" were further Top 5 UK hits, while "Miss Me Blind" reached
10082-433: The United States by HBO, Little Britain USA , aired in 2008. The characters from Little Britain played by Walliams and Lucas appeared in a 2010 UK television advertising campaign for the Nationwide Building Society . In January 2005 Walliams and Lucas were named the most powerful people in TV comedy by Radio Times . Their later series was Come Fly with Me , a six-part series airing on BBC One. The first episode
10224-702: The Willows , a 2006 television adaptation of the Kenneth Grahame novel. He has appeared in Kath & Kim and Neighbours (the latter alongside David Walliams as Little Britain characters Lou and Andy ), as well as a cameo role, playing 'Chris' or 'Jammy' at the wedding fayre, in the BBC Three sitcom Gavin & Stacey . Lucas has co-written (with Walliams) and performed in a new series of Little Britain USA for HBO . Lucas
10366-674: The biggest androgynous stars in music, Boy George and Annie Lennox appeared on the cover of Smash Hits magazine in December 1983, followed by the cover of Newsweek magazine in January 1984. By the late 1980s, Boy George had been struggling with heroin addiction for several years. He attempted to perform concerts while under its influence. Addictions to other drugs soon followed. Determined to save Boy George's life, his younger brother David made an appearance on UK national television and discussed Boy George's drug habit, which Boy George had been publicly denying at that time. In 1986, Boy George
10508-469: The competition, and its ninth season in 2020. Boy George did not return for the tenth season and was replaced by Jessica Mauboy . In October 2016, Boy George performed David Bowie's " Starman " – nine months after his idol's death from liver cancer – along with the National Health Service choir, as part of Channel 4 's Stand Up to Cancer UK programme. In 2017, Boy George participated in
10650-466: The discs on the 2 volume in their new compilation series Fantazia The House Collection 2 . This compilation was a success in the UK, going gold. The album was also sold to Sony for European-wide release. London nightclub Ministry of Sound hired him to compile one of their first CDs, which sold 100,000 copies. He then completed some compilations for them, four of them being the Annual I to IV. George released
10792-509: The early 1990s: "After the Love", " Generations of Love " and " Bow Down Mister ", the last giving him a UK Top 30 hit in 1991. Inspired by his involvement in the Hare Krishna movement ( ISKCON ), Boy George had written the song during a trip to India. Another single, "One on One", featured a remix by Massive Attack . From March 1990 to April 1991, Boy George presented a weekly chat and music show on
10934-512: The film Hiding Out . Tense Nervous Headache (1988) and Boyfriend (1989) would be his next two internationally released albums; however, these two albums would not be distributed in the US. Instead, Virgin Records selected several songs from each of these albums for a North American-only release called High Hat (1989). High Hat scored a US Top 5 R&B hit in "Don't Take My Mind on a Trip", produced by Teddy Riley . Boy George's next single in
11076-596: The group in 2018. The settlement required that Moss relinquish any and all rights to the Culture Club name and its use. Moss later filed bankruptcy proceedings against George and Craig, which were dismissed in June 2023. On 5 December 2008, Boy George was convicted in Snaresbrook Crown Court , London, of the April 2007 assault and false imprisonment of Audun Carlsen, a Norwegian model and male escort, who initially stood for
11218-529: The hit single " Move Away ". With Boy George's subsequent drug addiction, the underwhelming performance of their last two albums, a soured romance between band members shrouded in secrecy, and a wrongful death lawsuit looming, the group ultimately disbanded. In July 1998, a reunited Culture Club performed three dates in Monte Carlo and then joined the Human League and Howard Jones in a "Big Rewind" tour of
11360-424: The label declined to sign them. Virgin Records expressed interest in signing the group in the UK for European releases, while Epic Records handled the US and North American distribution. They recorded their debut album, Kissing to Be Clever (UK No. 5, US No. 14), and it was released in 1982. The single " Do You Really Want to Hurt Me " became an international hit, reaching No. 1 in multiple countries around
11502-498: The last season of The New Celebrity Apprentice on NBC, in which he supported the charity Safe Kids Worldwide and came in second place. Also in 2017 he collaborated on Pitbull 's album Climate Change . In August 2017, Boy George signed a recording deal with BMG , reuniting him with his songwriting catalogue, as BMG had acquired the Virgin Records songwriters in 2012. In 2019, he joined Marc Almond and Chrissie Hynde as
11644-663: The late 1990s, playing minor roles in sketches such as The Club , Walliams and Lucas played grotesque caricatures of various rock musicians in the series Rock Profile and in the spoof documentary series Sir Bernard's Stately Homes . They were also stars of the Paramount Comedy Channel show Mash and Peas , and it was in this guise that they appeared in the Fat Les video. Walliams and Lucas also had small roles in Plunkett and Maclaine as prisoners. The duo appeared together in
11786-461: The latter being a New Year's Eve concert. On 20 May 2014, it was announced on Culture Club's official Facebook page the band were back together. A new picture of the four members was also posted, along with a list of 11 concert dates through the UK. Alison Moyet would be a special guest at the concerts. The band were scheduled to perform dates in America in 2014 before the UK tour in December. The band
11928-577: The more mainstream BBC One . Among the characters Walliams played were Emily Howard , a deluded " transvestite "; Ray McCooney , an insane Scottish hotel owner; and Sebastian Love , an aide de camp to the Prime Minister (portrayed by Anthony Head ) on whom Love has a huge crush. A successful live stage show of the series, Little Britain Live , was produced in 2006. A number of seasonal and charity specials followed, up to 2009. A spin-off series produced in
12070-413: The music. The first time I ever saw Marc Bolan really, properly was singing "Metal Guru" and just loved him. I don't think you can separate an artist from what they wear or what they sing – it's kind of the complete package. It's something which is very organic and individual. Boy George's androgynous style of dressing caught the attention of music entrepreneur Malcolm McLaren (previously the manager of
12212-504: The name Culture Club . Britain, home of the brave new world of pop, has kept lobbing them over. One need only look at the current charts, which are flecked with such dauntless new-music wunderkinds as Eurythmics and Madness, not to mention the unlikeliest pop scion of them all, by george: Boy George O'Dowd of Culture Club. —Anglomania: The Second British Invasion , by Parke Puterbaugh for Rolling Stone , November 1983. The band recorded demos that were paid for by EMI Records , but
12354-467: The reboot of classic British children's television series Teletubbies . In October 2019, Walliams became the new National Television Awards (NTAs) host for 2020, taking over after Dermot O'Leary 's ten year presenting stint. Walliams and Matt Lucas first met at the National Youth Theatre . At their first meeting, Lucas did an impression of Jimmy Savile and Walliams an impression of Frankie Howerd . They would not meet again for another year. In
12496-543: The rock-driven album Cheapness and Beauty in 1995. The single "Same Thing in Reverse" became a minor US hit. The Unrecoupable One Man Bandit – Volume One was the next album release, first being sold on the internet only, then distributed by independent labels. On some other labels, several dance-oriented songs were released in various countries. For example, " Love Is Leaving " went Top 3 in Italy and "When Will You Learn" reached
12638-476: The role of Nardole in the BBC series Doctor Who . He has also appeared in films, including Astro Boy (2009), Alice in Wonderland (2010), Bridesmaids , Gnomeo & Juliet (both 2011), Small Apartments (2012), Paddington (2014), and Wonka (2023). Lucas presented the baking competition show The Great British Bake Off , alongside Noel Fielding from 2020 to 2023. Matthew Richard Lucas
12780-458: The same themes. Take It Like a Man was a best-seller in the UK. In 2005, Century published Straight , his second autobiography, this time co-written with author Paul Gorman . It was on The Sunday Times best-seller list for six weeks. Straight begins where Take It Like a Man had ended, though the two works are different in style, due to their different co-authors. All chapters in the 2005 book are titled, while chapters are only numbered in
12922-561: The second volume of his autobiography. On his "More Protein" website, he also announced another album, also named Straight , for mid-2005. The album was never released but a four-track sampler was released along with a book titled Straight . A reggaeton-oriented EP was also planned for August 2006 but was never released. Some recent tracks were shared by Boy George himself in late 2006 and early 2007 on his YouTube account, his three Myspace pages and sometimes on his official site. In January 2007, Boy George released "Time Machine" on Plan A Records,
13064-748: The short story collections, this time titled The World's Worst Pets was published. However, this book was illustrated by Adam Stower, Walliams' new illustrator, whereas all the other books in the series were illustrated by Tony Ross . The next and latest book of the series, The World's Worst Monsters was published on 6 July 2023. On 26 August 2008 Walliams made his stage debut at the Gate Theatre in Dublin opposite Michael Gambon in Harold Pinter 's No Man's Land , in front of an audience that included Pinter himself. The production transferred to London later in
13206-471: The show to promote his status as a celebrity. In 2014, Boy George suffered from a haemorrhaged polyp on his vocal cords, resulting in the cancellation of a Culture Club reunion tour. Several dates in Canada, the UK and the US were cancelled. Following months of resting his voice, spending some days in total silence, giving up coffee, and practicing vocal exercises, George recovered without needing surgery and
13348-614: The song were donated to feed famine victims in Africa during the 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia . Unlike many of the bands featured on the single, Culture Club did not perform at Live Aid in July 1985. In 1986, Boy George performed a guest-starring cameo role in an episode of the television series The A-Team titled "CowBoy George". Also in 1986, Culture Club released their fourth album, From Luxury to Heartache (UK No. 10, US No. 32), which featured
13490-548: The song with Boy George. It was written during the song writing sessions for his album This Is What I Do released in October 2013. It has been remixed by the likes of Marc Vedo and Kinky Roland. The artist listed for the song is Dharma Protocol featuring Boy George. A video was released on YouTube shot and directed by Boy George, though he did not appear in the video. It was set on the Epping Ongar Railway and starred Danie Cox, lead singer and guitarist of London-based band
13632-409: The soundtrack for the film The Crying Game . He was featured as a vocalist on the 1984 charity song " Do They Know It's Christmas? " and was the last artist featured on the song to record his lines. Boy George's music features several genres, including pop, new wave , soul , soft rock , disco and reggae . He has received several awards as a solo artist and as a member of Culture Club. In 2001, he
13774-546: The spring of 2003 was also shelved. During 2003, Boy George presented a weekly show on London radio station LBC 97.3 for six months. He wrote the foreword for a feng shui book called Practical Feng Shui by Simon G. Brown (published in 1998). He also appeared as a guest on the British comedy-talk show The Kumars at No. 42 . In March 2005 he was the guest host for an episode of The Friday Night Project , for Channel 4 television. In 2005, Boy George released Straight ,
13916-530: The story of Ben who is bored every time he is made to stay at his grandma's house as all she wants to do is to play board games and eat cabbage soup. Ben learns that she was once an international jewel thief and all her life she has wanted to steal the crown jewels. Ben is determined that they do it together. It won a Red House Children's Book Award and was adapted to be a 70-minute film for BBC One and shown on 26 December 2013. In September 2012 Walliams released his fifth children's book, Ratburger , telling
14058-537: The story of a young girl named Zoe whose life is a misery as she has an evil stepmother. It was made into a one-off drama for Sky One . Ratburger was followed in September 2013 by Walliams' sixth book, Demon Dentist , relating the tale of a young boy named Alfie with no family except his dad whose world goes upside-down when a new dentist arrives in town. The book won the top prize in the Younger Readers category at
14200-522: The swim. Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George , is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club . He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham and was part of the New Romantic movement which emerged in the late 1970s to early 1980s. His androgynous look and style of fashion
14342-597: The swim. The training had to coincide with Walliams and Lucas's Little Britain Live tour , so he daily had to train for several hours before performing on stage in the evening. Walliams first swam from Lee-on-the-Solent near Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight in around two hours and also completed an eight-hour swim off the coast of Croatia before embarking on the cross-Channel attempt. Walliams has insisted that prior to his challenge he had never seriously taken part in any sport. The Bluetones ' lead singer Mark Morriss wrote
14484-442: The themes of Little Britain from Walliams' own life on an emotional level, such as the camp humour of cross-dressing and effeminacy . The story recounts a neglected 12-year-old boy called Dennis' search for a female role model, his friendship with the popular girl in school, and the ways in which relationships develop along gender lines. The story has a strong resonance with Anne Fine's 1989 book Bill's New Frock . This book
14626-399: The top of his head. He has a tattoo of David Bowie on his right arm and one of Marc Bolan on his left. Boy George said in 2013 he was "quite drunk" when his head was shaved and tattooed. He said when he stopped drinking alcohol he lost the desire to have further tattoos on his head, finding it "too painful". In the 1980s, much was made of Boy George's androgynous appearance, and there
14768-592: The top position in the Swiss charts. "When Will You Learn" was also nominated for the Best Dance Recording, at the Grammy Awards . In 1999, Boy George collaborated on songs with dance-oriented acts. For example, "Why Go?", a slow-paced track with Faithless , from their Sunday 8pm LP, was later released in a remixed form in some European countries and Australia. A track was done with Groove Armada , named "Innocence
14910-658: The track going towards the Feed NHS campaign, which aims to provide meals for NHS workers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK . The song reached No. 34 in the charts. Lucas also wrote a children's picture book based on "Thank You, Baked Potato", published by Egmont and all proceeds again go to Feed NHS. In 2020, Lucas, along with his Little Britain co-star David Walliams, apologised for their portrayal of characters using racial caricatures , "including an obese Caribbean woman called Desiree DeVere, portrayed in blackface , and
15052-401: The video is the lifejacket instruction. Since then the video has been reworked with a mixture of the previous version; however, Walliams still appears in the new version. Walliams hosted a classical music podcast for children called David Walliams' Marvellous Musical Podcast . The show was produced by Classic FM and won a gold prize at the 2020 British Podcast Awards . Walliams co-hosted
15194-534: The world, plus top ten in several more countries (US No. 2). This was followed by the Top 5 hit " Time " in the US and UK, and "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" which reached US No. 9. This gave Culture Club the distinction of being the first group since the Beatles to have three Top 10 hits in the US from a debut album. Their next album, Colour By Numbers , was an enormous success, topping the UK charts and reaching No. 2 in
15336-524: The year. In 2013, he played the part of Bottom in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Noël Coward Theatre opposite Sheridan Smith as Titania. In July 2014, Walliams appeared on stage with Monty Python during their live show Monty Python Live (Mostly) held at the O 2 Arena , London. He was the special guest in their "Blackmail" sketch. In addition to his writing credits for his sketch shows and adaptions of his novels, he
15478-425: Was a contemporary of writer Robert Shearman . From 1989 to 1992, he studied at the University of Bristol , where he resided at Manor Hall and graduated with Bachelor of Arts (Drama). During university holidays in 1990, Walliams performed with the National Youth Theatre , where he met future comedy partner and friend Matt Lucas . He changed his stage name to David Walliams when he joined college Equity , as there
15620-750: Was a judge on the ITV1 talent show Britain's Got Talent with Amanda Holden , Alesha Dixon and Simon Cowell . In 2015, 2018 and 2019, he was recognised at the National Television Awards as Best Judge for his involvement in the series. In 2022, it was announced that Walliams would be joining Seven Network 's Australia's Got Talent as a judge for the show's tenth season alongside fellow Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon , and Australian actors Kate Ritchie and Shane Jacobson . In November 2022, after controversy erupted regarding leaked disparaging comments made by Walliams to contestants, it
15762-404: Was a judge on the television talent show competition Britain's Got Talent on ITV . He is also a writer of children's books, having sold more than 37 million copies worldwide. Walliams played the role of Greville White in the 2007 television drama film Capturing Mary . From 2013 to 2014, he wrote and starred in the BBC One sitcom Big School . In 2015, he starred as Tommy Beresford in
15904-460: Was adapted into a film for Christmas 2014. In November 2009 came Mr Stink , again illustrated by Quentin Blake, about a 12-year-old girl who meets a tramp and helps look after him. She keeps him hidden from her family. The book consists of 26 illustrated chapters full of jokes. It is aimed at teenagers and children over 9. It was the last of Walliams books to be illustrated by Quentin Blake. The book
16046-602: Was already a member named David Williams. Walliams performed in the Big Finish Productions Doctor Who audio play Phantasmagoria , written by Mark Gatiss in 1999. In 2005, Walliams, Simon Pegg , Lucy Davis and Lauren Laverne starred in the video for Charlotte Hatherley 's single "Bastardo". Later in the year, Walliams presented a documentary on James Bond , entitled David Walliams: My Life with James Bond . In 2007, he returned to non-comedy television, garnering positive reviews for his portrayal of
16188-622: Was also cancelled. After the dissolution of Culture Club in 1986, Boy George entered treatment and was prescribed narcotics to treat his addiction to heroin. In 1987, Boy George released his first solo album, Sold , which garnered success in Europe. It spawned the UK singles "Everything I Own" (UK No. 1), "Keep Me in Mind" (UK No. 29), "To Be Reborn" (UK No. 13), and the title song, "Sold" (UK No. 24). The singles were also hits in various other European countries. The album's success, however,
16330-625: 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 Sport Relief . Walliams was born at St Teresa's Maternity Hospital in Wimbledon , in the London Borough of Merton , in 1971. He
16472-521: Was arrested for heroin possession as part of "Operation Culture". In 1986, keyboardist Michael Rudetsky, who co-wrote the song "Sexuality" on Culture Club's From Luxury to Heartache album, was found dead of a heroin overdose in Boy George's London home. Boy George's friend Mark Vaultier died after an overdose of methadone and Valium at a party. In December 1986, another friend, Mark Golding, died of an overdose, with Scotland Yard police stating there
16614-467: Was arrested in Manhattan on suspicion of cocaine possession and falsely reporting a burglary. Boy George denied that the drugs were his. In court on 1 February 2006, the cocaine possession charge was dropped and Boy George pleaded guilty to falsely reporting a burglary. He was sentenced to five days of community service, fined US$ 1,000 and ordered to attend a drug rehabilitation programme. On 17 June 2006,
16756-527: Was awarded the Children's Award in the inaugural People's Book Prize in 2010, and was made into a 60-minute film, which premiered on BBC One on 23 December 2012. On 28 October 2010 Walliams published his third book Billionaire Boy , illustrated by Tony Ross , telling the story of Joe Spud, the richest 12-year-old in the country. Joe's father is a famous inventor, and his wealth means that Joe has everything he could ever want: his own bowling alley, cinema and
16898-582: Was born on 5 March 1974 in the Paddington area of west London , the son of Diana (née Williams; born 1945) and chauffeuring business owner John Stanley Lucas (1944–1996). His family is Jewish ; some of his mother's family fled Nazi Germany just before the Second World War . He was raised in a Reform Jewish household although his parents came from Orthodox Jewish families. He has had alopecia since childhood, having lost all his hair after being struck by
17040-484: Was forced to withdraw from the show following a back injury. In March 2020, he became the new co-host of the Channel 4 and Love Productions television show The Great British Bake Off , taking over from Sandi Toksvig . He departed from the programme in December 2022. On 3 April 2020, Lucas released a reworked version of his "Baked Potato Song" from Shooting Stars titled "Thank You Baked Potato", with all proceeds from
17182-559: Was greatly inspired by glam rock pioneers David Bowie and Marc Bolan . He formed Culture Club with Roy Hay , Mikey Craig and Jon Moss in 1981. The band's second album, Colour by Numbers (1983), sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Their hit singles include " Do You Really Want to Hurt Me ", " Time (Clock of the Heart) ", " I'll Tumble 4 Ya ", " Church of the Poison Mind ", " Karma Chameleon ", " Victims ", " Miss Me Blind ", " It's
17324-492: Was highly successful in London's West End , running for two years and receiving four Laurence Olivier Award nominations, though a heavily altered US production produced by Rosie O'Donnell in New York City was short-lived, running for 100 performances. In 2002, Boy George released U Can Never B2 Straight , an "unplugged" collection of rare and lesser-known acoustic works. It contained unreleased tracks from previous years as well as some ballads from Cheapness and Beauty and
17466-552: Was initially incarcerated at HM Prison Pentonville in London, but was then transferred to HM Prison Highpoint North in Suffolk. He was given early release after four months on 11 May 2009. He was required to wear an ankle monitor and submit to a curfew for the remainder of his sentence. In December 2009, while still on licensed release from prison, Boy George made a request to the Probation Service that he be allowed to appear on
17608-599: Was no suggestion of foul play. During this period Boy George decided to seek treatment for his addiction. In 1995, Kirk Brandon sued Boy George for libel, claiming that Boy George mentioned a love affair between them in Boy George's autobiography, Take It Like a Man . Boy George won the court case and Brandon was ordered to pay £ 200,000 to Virgin Records , EMI Virgin Music and the book publisher in costs. Brandon declared himself bankrupt, which resulted in Boy George paying over £20,000 in legal fees. On 7 October 2005, Boy George
17750-462: Was not duplicated in America. This may have been due in part to the fact that Boy George was prohibited by US authorities from travelling to the United States for several years because of his British drug charges. He was therefore unable to be in America to help promote the album. Boy George did score his first solo US Top 40 hit with the single "Live My Life" (US No. 40) from the soundtrack to
17892-483: Was pregnant with Boy George. Boy George said of his father, "He was a terrible father and a terrible husband." In 1995, Boy George's youngest brother Gerald, who has schizophrenia , was convicted of killing his wife in an episode of paranoia. Boy George was a follower of the New Romantic movement, which was popular in the UK in the early 1980s. He lived in various squats around Warren Street in Central London . He and his friend Marilyn were regulars at Blitz ,
18034-791: Was published in November 2018. In 2020, the book Code Name Bananas, which was set in World War I I-era Britain was published, and was being announced on Walliams' Instagram. Walliams' next children's novel, Spaceboy , was published in September 2022. On 5 April 2023, the children's novel Robodog was published. The story is about Robodog, the newest recruit at the police dog school, as he sets out to save his city from some evil criminals trying to destroy it. Illustrated in colour by Tony Ross, Walliams' three The World's Worst Children short story collections, centered around 'five beastly boys and five gruesome girls', were published in May 2016, May 2017 and May 2018, respectively. The World's Worst Teachers
18176-441: Was published on 27 June. In July 2020, tweets by author and activist Jack Monroe described Walliams' books as "like Little Britain for kids", with "horrific racism and classism and bodyshaming in a veneer of privileged deniability". HarperCollins issued a response, stating "David Walliams's books have a diverse readership which is reflected in their content". Also in July 2020, Williams' next book, The World's Worst Parents
18318-408: Was published, Walliams backed children's fairytales app GivingTales in aid of UNICEF , together with Roger Moore , Stephen Fry , Ewan McGregor , Joan Collins , Joanna Lumley , Michael Caine , Charlotte Rampling and Paul McKenna . The Midnight Gang was published in November 2016. Bad Dad was published in November 2017. Walliams sold £16.57 million worth of books in 2017. The Ice Monster
18460-453: Was published, and the book followed the same structure as all of the previous short story collection books. In September 2021 it was announced that one of the stories in The World's Worst Children would be removed after podcaster Georgie Ma made a complaint, saying Walliams' book was "normalising jokes on minorities from a young age." The story criticised by Ma earlier in the year is "about
18602-514: Was raised in a working-class Irish Catholic family; his father was born in England of Irish descent and his mother was from Dublin . He has one older brother, two younger brothers and a younger sister. He also has an older half-brother, who was born out of wedlock in Dublin in 1957 when his mother was 18; she moved to London with him to start a new life and escape the stigma of being an unmarried mother. Boy George has compared his family history to
18744-470: Was released on 7 June 2018. From 2 July to 25 August 2018, Lucas played Bill Snibson in a revival of Me and My Girl at Chichester Festival Theatre . In 2019, Lucas was the bank holiday cover host for the Radio 2 Breakfast Show. He will also cover Paul O'Grady 's Sunday 5–7pm show during the summer; Fearne Cotton will be the main holiday cover host. In 2021, Lucas continues to sit in for Zoe Ball and host
18886-506: Was reported that Walliams had decided "to bow out after a ten-year run", and that he wished to leave the show "on a high after a wonderful time". He was replaced by Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli . In early 2008 Walliams signed a contract with HarperCollins to publish two children's books. The debut novel, The Boy in the Dress , illustrated by Quentin Blake , was released worldwide on 1 November 2008. It explores several of
19028-540: Was scheduled to tour New Zealand in 2016. Tickets were sold for performances in Christchurch and Auckland . In November 2016, in a pre-tour interview on TVNZ , Boy George walked out after the interviewer asked him about his 2009 criminal conviction. The band then cancelled its Christchurch performance, saying it was due to changes in its international touring schedule. Later in November, the December performance in Auckland
19170-475: Was set to co-write an animated film titled Shadows with filmmaker Edgar Wright for DreamWorks Animation . It was never made however, due to the staff changes at DreamWorks animation which left the film in limbo. In 2018, Walliams also starred in the British Airways Safety video, which was conducted in conjunction with Comic Relief for the airlines in house charity. Walliams most notable occasion in
19312-486: Was speculation about his sexuality. When asked by Joan Rivers in an interview on her show in 1983, "Do you prefer men or women?", Boy George replied, "Oh both." In 1985, when asked by Barbara Walters about his sexual orientation , Boy George said he was bisexual and had various girlfriends and boyfriends, in the past. He gave a famous, oft-quoted response to interviewer Russell Harty that he preferred "a nice cup of tea" to sex. In his 1995 autobiography Take It Like
19454-405: Was surprised that his vocal range had become an octave lower than before, which he described as a "kind of rich tenor " and suitable for singing "a little bit of rock." HarperCollins published Boy George's first autobiography, Take It Like a Man , in 1995, co-written with Spencer Bright. Both the book and his solo album, Cheapness and Beauty , were released simultaneously and dealt with
19596-630: Was the first celebrity to appear in 2008's Big Brother Celebrity Hijack on E4 . On 9 April 2009, the series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire , featuring Lucas as a regular performer, premièred on Comedy Central , the first major comedy series which Lucas had worked on since Little Britain . In 2010, Lucas played Tweedledee and Tweedledum in Tim Burton 's Alice in Wonderland . Starting in February 2010, Lucas began hosting his own radio show, And The Winner Is , in which he handed out
19738-474: Was the last solo artist to deliver his lines, at 6 pm, having just arrived in the studio from Heathrow Airport after a Concorde transatlantic flight. The song featured mostly British and Irish musical acts, with Boy George the second singer to feature after Paul Young sings the opening lines. It became Christmas number one and the best-selling single of 1984 in the United Kingdom . Proceeds from
19880-689: Was the subject of BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? and learned that many of his grandmother's cousins had been murdered in the Holocaust . His grandmother's cousin, Werner Goldschmidt, had lived with the family of diarist Anne Frank in Amsterdam in 1942. In 2021, 83 years after his grandmother left Berlin, Lucas obtained German citizenship . Lucas is an avid supporter of Arsenal Football Club . From 2012 to 2015, Lucas lived with his Bridesmaids co-star Rebel Wilson in West Hollywood . Lucas also has
20022-499: Was the third most-watched programme of Christmas Day 2010, and the most watched comedy of the year. The duo have not worked or made any public appearances together since early 2011 (although they each make separate cameo appearances in Michael Winterbottom 's 2013 film The Look of Love ). Little Britain returned to BBC Radio 4 on 31 October 2019, for a one-off special entitled Little Brexit . From 2012 to 2022, Walliams
20164-547: Was voted 46th in a BBC poll of the 100 Greatest Britons . In 2015, Boy George received an Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors for Outstanding Services to British Music. Boy George was born George Alan O'Dowd at Barnehurst Hospital, Kent , England, on 14 June 1961 and raised in Eltham , the second of five children born to builder Jerry O'Dowd (born Jeremiah; 1932–2004) and Dinah O'Dowd (born Christina Glynn; 1939–2023 ). He
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