Mr Stink

Walliams is an actor, TV personality, and children’s book author. Best known for his sketch comedy series Little Britain, Walliams’s sense of humor as a TV writer, actor, and author has proved divisive among audiences and critics. Some feel that Walliams uses insensitive language to describe his characters, including sexist and racist stereotyping. Walliams’s novels have also drawn fire for what some critics and parents consider mean-spirited humor; for instance, characters are sometimes mocked or humiliated in outlandish scenes that are meant to be funny. For example, in Mr. Stink, the protagonist, a man who is unhoused, earns his nickname through his notoriously bad smell, which is a repeated point of humor throughout the story. The book also contains repeated derogatory words for people who are unhoused and unemployed, though these words are spoken by the villains of the book to demonstrate that they lack compassion.

Like classic children’s author Roald Dahl, author of Matilda, The BFG, and James and the Giant Peach, Walliams’s work often includes bullies and characters who stand up to them with inventive put-downs. However, Walliams’s critics feel that this style of humor falls flat. As journalist Zoe Williams puts it, “Walliams is often referred to—by his publishers—as the modern Roald Dahl, and he does have a ludic gift […] but he doesn’t […] marry it to Dahl’s burning empathy with the underdog and hatred of injustice” (Williams, Zoe. “Feminism, Fattism and Fart Jokes: Do David Walliams’s Books Pass the Smell Test?“ The Guardian, 2018).

While his books include controversial, irreverent humor and outlandish scenarios, Walliams’ work also tends to share positive, heartwarming messages for young readers. For instance, in his popular book Gangsta Granny, an ailing grandmother uses sensational stories to bond with her grandson, teaching young readers to respect their elders and make an effort to know them.

In Mr. Stink, a young girl named Chloe befriends a man who is unhoused, providing them both with friendship and the courage to confront their bullies. Their friendship also prompts Chloe’s mother to reform her cruel and elitist attitudes.

Walliams’s sympathetic characters, extraordinary plots, and humorous descriptions have earned him millions of fans. Walliams’s work is incredibly popular with young readers, making him the fastest-growing children’s author in the UK (“David Walliams.” BookTrust, 2024). To date, Walliams’s books have been translated into over 50 languages, selling over 50 million copies worldwide. Like most of his work, Mr. Stink has a high rating from readers on Google Reviews, with 94% of reviewers reporting that they enjoyed the book. A review in The Guardian newspaper, seemingly written by a young reader, positively described the book as “a really, really hilarious book, probably one of the best I have read in my life” (“Mr. Stink By David Walliams - Review.” The Guardian, 2014). This novel has been adapted into a play, as well as a 2012 TV film by BBC One, starring British actors Hugh Bonneville and Nell Tiger Free.