Grandpa's Great Escape

Last updated

Grandpa's Great Escape
Grandpa's Great Escape.jpg
First edition
Author David Walliams
Illustrator Tony Ross
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's fiction
Publisher HarperCollins
Publication date
24 September 2015
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pages461
ISBN 0007494017

Grandpa's Great Escape is a children's book written by David Walliams and illustrated by Tony Ross. It was released by HarperCollins on 24 September 2015. The story follows a boy called Jack trying to rescue his confused Grandpa from a retirement home, Twilight Towers run by an evil matron, Miss Swine. [1]

Contents

The book was adapted for BBC One, with the script written by Walliams and Kevin Cecil. It starred Tom Courtenay as Grandpa. [2] Its British television premiere was on New Year's Day 2018.

Plot

Grandpa’s Great Escape is set in London in 1983 and tells the tale of Grandpa, a World War II flying ace, who sadly is now confused due to Alzheimer’s disease, [3] and is still believing that World War II hasn't ended and longing to re-live his past. When his family can no longer look after him, Grandpa is moved to Twilight Towers a prison-esque old people’s home run by Miss Swine, whom the latter is committing Elder abuse.

It soon becomes clear Miss Swine is running Twilight Towers for her own good profit and it is up to Grandpa and his 12-year-old grandson Jack, the only one who can understand his beliefs, to make a daring escape. Grandpa takes a final chance to relive his past and once again flies in his beloved Spitfire.

Reception

Linda Lawlor from The Book Bag gave Grandpa's Great Escape a 4-and-a-half-star review, saying "Utterly silly from start to finish and yet it leaves the reader with a warm, cosy feeling. Forget about whether anything in the plot makes the slightest sense – just sit back and enjoy the ride" and "Tony Ross's superb illustrations add immeasurably to the carefree, slightly manic tone of the text." [4]

Television adaptation

On 22 September 2017 it was announced that the book would be adapted for BBC One and be shown at Christmas 2017. The script was written by Walliams and Kevin Cecil and starred Tom Courtenay as Grandpa, Kit Connor as Jack and Jennifer Saunders as Miss Dandy, with Samantha Spiro and Walliams as Jack's parents, Patricia and Barry. [5] The film was shown on New Year's Day 2018 [6] to an overnight audience of around 5 million.[ citation needed ]

Arena stage adaptation

A stage adaptation opened at the Arena Birmingham on 23, 24 and 26 December 2019 and toured to The SSE Arena, Wembley on 27 and 28 December, FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield on 29 December, Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on 30 December, Manchester Arena on 1 January 2020, Utilita Arena Newcastle on 2 January, The SSE Hydro, Glasgow on 3 January and M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool on 4 January.

The production was adapted by Kevin Cecil and directed by Sean Foley and starred Nigel Planer as Grandpa. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel Planer</span> British actor, comedian and writer (born 1953)

Nigel George Planer is a British actor, writer and musician. He played Neil in the BBC comedy The Young Ones and Ralph Filthy in Filthy Rich & Catflap. He has appeared in many West End musicals, including original casts of Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He has also appeared in Hairspray. He won a BRIT award in 1984 and has been nominated for Olivier, TMA, WhatsOnStage and BAFTA awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy and Tuppence</span> Group of fictional characters

Tommy and Tuppence are two fictional detectives, recurring characters in the work of Agatha Christie. Their full names are Thomas Beresford and his wife Prudence . Tommy and Tuppence first appeared in Christie's The Secret Adversary (1922). They started out their career in search of adventure and money, and the detecting life soon proved profitable and very exciting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Walliams</span> English comedian, writer and actor

David Edward Williams, known professionally as David Walliams, 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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Lucas</span> British actor and comedian

Matthew Richard Lucas is an English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter. 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).

James Christopher Bolam is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Terry Collier in The Likely Lads and its sequel Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, Jack Ford in When the Boat Comes In, Roy Figgis in Only When I Laugh, Trevor Chaplin in The Beiderbecke Trilogy, Arthur Gilder in Born and Bred, Jack Halford in New Tricks and the title character of Grandpa in the CBeebies programme Grandpa in My Pocket.

Andy Riley is a British author, cartoonist, and Emmy-winning screenwriter for TV and film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miranda Hart</span> English comedian

Miranda Katherine Hart Dyke is an English comedian, actress and writer. Following drama training at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, Hart began writing material for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and making appearances in various British sitcoms, including Hyperdrive (2006–2007) and Not Going Out (2006–2009).

<i>The Boy in the Dress</i> (novel) Book by David Walliams

The Boy In The Dress is a comedic children's book written by David Walliams and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It is the first book by Walliams, a television comedian best known for the cult BBC show Little Britain. It tells the story of a fourteen-year-old boy called John and a twelve-year-old boy called Dennis who is encouraged by a rebellious friend to cross-dress and the reactions of his family, friends and school. It is aimed at readers aged eight to twelve, and has been adapted into a television film and a musical.

<i>Come Fly with Me</i> (2010 TV series) British mockumentary television comedy series

Come Fly with Me is a British mockumentary television comedy series created by and starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams. Narrated by Lindsay Duncan, the series launched on 25 December 2010 on BBC One. A spoof of British documentaries Airport and Airline, the series follows the activity at a major airport and three fictional airlines: low-cost British airline FlyLo, low-cost Irish airline Our Lady Air, and major British airline Great British Air.

Elliot Hegarty is a film and television director working in Britain and the United States.

<i>Great Expectations</i> (2012 film) 2012 British film

Great Expectations is a 2012 British-American film adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1861 novel of the same name. The film was directed by Mike Newell, with the adapted screenplay by David Nicholls, and stars Jeremy Irvine, Helena Bonham Carter, Holliday Grainger, Ralph Fiennes and Robbie Coltrane. It was distributed by Lionsgate.

<i>Billionaire Boy</i> Childrens novel by David Walliams

Billionaire Boy is a children's fiction book written by David Walliams and illustrated by Tony Ross. It was published on 28 October 2010 by HarperCollins. The story follows Joe Spud, who is the richest boy in the country and has everything he could ever want, but wishes to have a friend and eventually learns a lesson on being a normal boy. The book was adapted for BBC television, broadcast on 1 January 2016.

<i>Ratburger</i> Book by David Walliams

Ratburger is a children's book written by David Walliams, and illustrated by Tony Ross. It is the fifth book by Walliams, and won the Children's Book of the Year Award at the Specsavers National Book Awards in 2012.

<i>Gangsta Granny</i> Book by David Walliams

Gangsta Granny is a 2011 British children's comedy fiction book, written by David Walliams, illustrated by Tony Ross and published by HarperCollins. A sequel, Gangsta Granny Strikes Again, was released in 2021.

<i>Gangsta Granny</i> (film) 2013 television film directed by Matt Lipsey

Gangsta Granny is a British comedy-drama television film based on David Walliams' 2011 children's comedy fiction book of the same name. The adaptation is by Kevin Cecil and Andy Riley. The first broadcast was on BBC One on 26 December 2013 at 6.05 PM. A sequel was released in December 2022, with an almost entirely different cast.

Red Nose Day 2015 was a fund-raising event organised by Comic Relief, broadcast live on BBC One and BBC Two from the evening of 13 March 2015 to early the following morning. It was part of the "Face the Funny" campaign and was held on BBC One from Friday 13 March till Saturday 14 March 2015.

<i>Awful Auntie</i>

Awful Auntie is a children's book written by David Walliams and illustrated by Tony Ross. It is the seventh book by Walliams, a television comedian best known as an actor on the show Little Britain, and as a judge on Britain's Got Talent.

Walliams & Friend is a British sketch show, produced by and starring David Walliams. A pilot episode aired on BBC One on 24 December 2015 and a full series of 6 episodes was commissioned on 20 May 2016, which first aired on 25 November 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kit Connor</span> English actor (born 2004)

Kit Sebastian Connor is an English actor. He gained recognition for his starring role as secondary school student Nick Nelson in the Netflix teen series Heartstopper (2022–present), for which he won the inaugural Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Performance. He appeared in the films Get Santa (2014), Rocketman (2019) and Little Joe (2019), had a recurring role in the series Rocket's Island (2014–2015), and a voice role in the series His Dark Materials (2019–2022).

Benjamin Hart is an English magician. In 2007, he was awarded the "Young Magician of the Year" award by The Magic Circle. Hart has worked on British television and is an inventor and designer of magic tricks and stage illusions. In 2014, he starred in Killer Magic on BBC Three. Hart was a finalist on Britain's Got Talent in 2019.

References

  1. "The World of David Walliams". HarperCollins Publishers Limited. 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  2. Doran, Sarah (22 September 2017). "David Walliams' Grandpa's Great Escape set to air on BBC1 this Christmas". Radio Times, Immediate Media Company Limited. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  3. "David Walliams' Grandpa's Great Escape comes to BBC One". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  4. Lawlor, Linda (13 February 2017). "Grandpa's Great Escape by David Walliams". The Bookbag. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  5. "David Walliams' Grandpa's Great Escape comes to BBC One". BBC. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  6. "Grandpa's Great Escape: All you need to know". BBC News. BBC. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  7. BWW News Desk. "Full Casting Announced For GRANDPA'S GREAT ESCAPE Live UK Tour". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 29 May 2021.