Martin Clunes isn’t one to stir up controversy – his easygoing nature and dry humor have made him a beloved figure in British entertainment for decades.
However, the Doc Martin star opened up about feeling slighted by David Walliams over comments made during a 2010 appearance on The Graham Norton Show.
Martin Clunes and David Walliams’ spat
The subject revolves around a sketch from Walliams and Matt Lucas’s 2010 BBC comedy series, Come Fly with Me.
In the skit, the comedians portray two excitable Japanese schoolgirls who travel to meet their idol, Martin Clunes.
They even perform a song they’ve written in his honour.
Clunes was originally meant to appear in the sketch, but scheduling conflicts prevented him from participating.
“I was supposed to be in that sketch,” the actor recalled in an interview with The Times.
“In bed with them, saying, ‘Actually, I’m pretty big in Japan,’ but my schedule closed up and I couldn’t. So now I’ve got this pain-in-the-arse song without any get-out.”
The song – a campy tribute to Clunes – lives on via YouTube.
However, the sketch and the series were removed from streaming services in 2020 amid criticism of racial stereotyping.
For Clunes, however, the real sting came later, when Walliams appeared on The Graham Norton Show to discuss the skit.
“He was very rude”
During the interview, Walliams explained the premise of the sketch.
“These are two Japanese schoolgirls who’ve come all the way to Tokyo to meet their idol, Martin Clunes. And they do a song especially for Martin Clunes. They’re very excited to meet him,” he said.
Walliams also added, with a grin: “Normally [some Japanese fans are obsessed] with someone like Robbie Williams. We thought, ‘Who’s the most unlikely person?’ We thought of Martin Clunes.”
“So in Japan, in our reality, he is the biggest star,” Matt Lucas quipped.
However, Clunes wasn’t amused: “I remember being very flattered they’d chosen me.”
“Then I saw David Walliams talking about it on Graham Norton and I was not flattered: he was very rude about me.”
Walliams’s quip that Clunes was “the most unlikely person” for idol worship may have been a joke, but Clunes’s response suggests he didn’t appreciate the punchline.
“Well, there you have it,” he said.
It’s not the first time Clunes has had a clash with a famous face.
Adding to the discomfort is the context in which the sketch has aged. Come Fly with Me has since faced backlash for its reliance on racial stereotypes.
“It’s been enveloped in the mist of casual racism,” Clunes also added.
Read more: Martin Clunes’ TV return Out There savaged as viewers spot ‘problems’ and brand it ‘unwatchable’
Out There continues on Sunday (January 26) on ITV1 at 9pm.
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David Walliams referenced Martin in a 2010 skit
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