0:00:02 > 0:00:06The River Thames. Britain's most iconic river.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09But it was never meant to be a 140-mile-long swimming pool.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14Until comedian David Walliams decided to swim it for Sport Relief.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17'I chose the Thames cos I thought it would be an amazing challenge.'
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Bye!
0:00:19 > 0:00:22I thought it would capture people's imaginations.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Cos most people in the UK know the Thames, have seen it.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28And I know people like to see people off the TV suffer!
0:00:30 > 0:00:32And suffer he did.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38This is the inside story of what David went through.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Your body's not meant to do this much swimming...day after day.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Putting his body through agony...
0:00:44 > 0:00:47The whole purpose of this challenge was to try replicate
0:00:47 > 0:00:51what it feels like to be 80-years-old on a continual basis!
0:00:51 > 0:00:55Testing his determination in eight days of incredible highs...
0:01:04 > 0:01:07I've never applauded him before, isn't that the odd thing?
0:01:07 > 0:01:08I've been to lots of his shows.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10..and terrible lows.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14- How you feeling? - Like I'm going to vomit.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18That is one very tired, sick man.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40David's challenge is as epic as it is daunting.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44He is aiming to swim a gruelling 140 miles down the Thames
0:01:44 > 0:01:48from rural Gloucestershire to Central London.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53To stand any chance, David has to juggle the day job
0:01:53 > 0:01:55with up to ten hours a week swimming.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58- What do you think about...? - I think mainly about you.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01- I am very touched! - Sometimes about Matt, but mainly you!
0:02:05 > 0:02:07This is history in the making.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11This is the first-ever bomb into the Olympic pool.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23And that is how the Olympic ceremony's going to start,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27with an overweight transvestite comedian
0:02:27 > 0:02:29bombing into the Olympic pool!
0:02:34 > 0:02:37I do think there's something powerful about doing something hard.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Because if you really put yourself out there,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43I think the public are likely to engage a bit more, and think,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46"Oh, he must be doing this for a really good reason."
0:02:46 > 0:02:50I think people just think I'm not the kind of guy who would do that,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52you know?
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Because I'm quite effeminate and don't look particularly, like, fit,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00it comes as a real surprise to people that I've got this kind of resolve.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04This isn't David's first charity endurance swim.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09- Best of luck, son. - If I don't see you again, you've been a very good father.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12- Thank you! - You've been a wonderful mother.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15In 2006 he swam the Channel, and raised over £1 million
0:03:15 > 0:03:18for projects Sport Relief supports, here and abroad.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22'In the documentary there's a really nice clip of my dad applauding,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25'and that's what you want more than anything in life, I think,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27'is to make your parents proud.'
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Um...
0:03:29 > 0:03:31But my dad died three years ago,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34so it's just my mum now.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38This is going to be hard, and this is going to be harder for me
0:03:38 > 0:03:44because Peter was here for the Channel swim,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47and he was there, and he was so proud of him.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50And when I think of Peter just really enjoying the day,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53and being there and being so proud of David,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56that was fantastic.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03The Thames is a whole new challenge.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06To prepare him, Professor Greg Whyte will be training David.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10For me, the visibility is worse than it has been in the Channel
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- or Gibraltar. - Yes, it is worse.- No doubt about it.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Former Olympian Greg is an endurance specialist
0:04:21 > 0:04:25and knows all about the difficulties of river swimming - unlike David.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29The first thing that struck me when I jumped in was there is no visibility.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35When I jumped in, I was like, "It's black! What's happened?! I've died!"
0:04:35 > 0:04:39I didn't realise. I've just died and it's black. Oh.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43But the temperature of the water is, what, about 15, 16?
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- Yes.- You told me, when we started,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49"Oh, it's going to be about 22 or something."
0:04:49 > 0:04:55And you also said, "It's almost TOO hot!" That's what he said to me!
0:04:55 > 0:04:59A little bit of cold, and a little bit of poor visibility, you want to man up.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Would be wrong if I dropped out now?
0:05:06 > 0:05:09David's eight-day challenge starts in rural Lechlade,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13in the heart of the Cotswolds, near to the source of the Thames.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17CHEERING
0:05:17 > 0:05:21"I'm a Lech-lady!" Very good! Thank you very much!
0:05:21 > 0:05:25- Wow! Another cake! That's beautiful!- Wow!
0:05:25 > 0:05:28To be honest, I'd be demoralised if no-one had come to see me.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Come on, who's taking the picture?
0:05:31 > 0:05:35This is ultimately all about trying to raise money,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39and awareness. If no-one cared that I was going to get in and swim,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42the whole thing, for me, would be pointless.
0:05:44 > 0:05:45It's amazing.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48And the amount of money he's going to raise is astounding.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Is just an amazing thing he's doing,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54so that's one of the reasons we're down here.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Plus, she fancies him!
0:06:00 > 0:06:02David's supermodel wife Lara
0:06:02 > 0:06:06and mum Kathleen are in Lechlade to see David start his big swim.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09- Take care of yourself.- Thank you. - I love you.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12'You wouldn't be normal if you weren't anxious for somebody.'
0:06:12 > 0:06:16- Because he's my son... - He's adorable.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18..and mothers are anxious for their children,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21whatever age they are and whatever they do.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25- Lara, do you feel the same? - Of course I feel the same.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29I don't think anyone would want their husband to spend ten hours a day
0:06:29 > 0:06:32in the freezing cold River Thames!
0:06:32 > 0:06:34No, it's not a pleasant thought.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38CHEERING
0:06:48 > 0:06:50As the crow flies,
0:06:50 > 0:06:53it's only 57 miles to Central London,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57but the way the Thames meanders means, to get there,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00David must swim 140 miles.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03It's like swimming the Channel every day.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07I've just got to sort of chip a bit off, you know?
0:07:07 > 0:07:11Day one, just take it two hours at a time,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14pause, have a quick drink, half an hour.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Then two hours. Just blocks. I think it's the only way you can do it.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20If you get in and think, "This is mile one of 140,"
0:07:20 > 0:07:23it would be overwhelming.
0:07:23 > 0:07:28Is he coming? He's got this very determined streak in him, I think.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32And as well, I think he thinks you don't let people down.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36If you say you're going to do something, you do it.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40You don't sort of, "Oh, I don't feel like that today, I won't bother."
0:07:40 > 0:07:45His father was quite a determined sort of person.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48I think perhaps both of us are that way inclined.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51You know, we don't give up on things easily.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54If things go wrong, we try and sort something out and get it done.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58To finish, David will have to overcome many hurdles.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01The Thames is full of debris,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03unpredictable currents,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07and, just the day before, 300 tons of raw sewage was pumped into it,
0:08:07 > 0:08:09so the risk of infection is high.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10But the immediate danger
0:08:10 > 0:08:14is the unseasonably cold temperature of the water.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19We know what water temperature is, it's 15 degrees centigrade.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22That's two degrees lower than the Channel. It's incredibly cold.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25He's going to have to survive that for 140 miles.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28The cold was always going to be a problem.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30David's choice to swim without a wetsuit
0:08:30 > 0:08:34has turned out to be the wrong decision.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36'It really depletes you when it's freezing cold.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39'Not only physically, but mentally as well.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42'And all I was thinking was, "It's cold, it's cold, it's cold."
0:08:42 > 0:08:44'That's all I was thinking about.'
0:08:44 > 0:08:49Don't worry about the shivering, because that's natural. It's shivering thermogenesis.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53David is suffering from the early stages of hypothermia.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55He's got what's called the after-drop,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59so the body temperature, as you exit the water, plummets very rapidly,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03and what he's doing now is the body responds by shivering to create heat.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06'It's not nice going into hypothermia and shivering,'
0:09:06 > 0:09:08because your body is out of control.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12'Obviously you're shivering because your body is trying to get warm,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15'but it's a really frightening feeling.'
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Thank you.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20All I could think about for the first hour or so, was just how cold it was,
0:09:20 > 0:09:24- and it was awful because it really puts you off.- It eats you.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28I couldn't think of anything else other than how cold it was.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31I could see you were blue on your back.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33That's cos I'm part Smurf!
0:09:33 > 0:09:38# Just keep on, keep on swimming
0:09:38 > 0:09:42# Just keep on, keep and swimming
0:09:42 > 0:09:46# Just keep on, keep on swimming
0:09:46 > 0:09:50# And don't look back any more. #
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Hello! CHEERING
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Nice to see you!
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Blimey!
0:09:59 > 0:10:03- I'm a rock star.- Aren't you cold?
0:10:03 > 0:10:05I am quite cold, but sometimes I'll tell you a secret -
0:10:05 > 0:10:08I wee in my wetsuit.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10CHEERING Don't tell anyone!
0:10:10 > 0:10:15But sometimes I wee in it, and that warms me up.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Best not to do it in your clothes now,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19cos it doesn't have the same effect!
0:10:19 > 0:10:22- I'm going to get back in. - Good luck!- Thanks a lot.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25See you soon. APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:10:29 > 0:10:33The public are turning up in their droves to support David
0:10:33 > 0:10:37and give money to Sport Relief by texting a donation or giving cash.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49Three months before the swim, David went to Kisumu in Kenya,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52to see where some of the money will go.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Of the 160,000 people who live in this town,
0:10:56 > 0:10:5920,000 are children sleeping rough.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01One little orphaned boy called Philip
0:11:01 > 0:11:04made a particularly big impression on David.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08- You've brought me here - this is where you sleep?- Yeah.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09Right here?
0:11:09 > 0:11:14- This one is ours.- So you all sleep together to keep warm?- Yeah.
0:11:14 > 0:11:20This is in the middle of two really, really busy, noisy roads.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Is it safe here to sleep?
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Yeah, here is safe to sleep because there is security there.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29There's security there for the mall, so that's why you chose this place?
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Yeah, because of some comes to disturb us, someone goes to tell him.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37I couldn't imagine in a million years,
0:11:37 > 0:11:42anyone thinking that this is OK that these kids sleep like this.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Philip's parents died four years ago,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49and had no option but to live on the streets.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54To survive, he scavenges for anything he can find to sell.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58- What about this?- I'll take it. I have another one of them.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02And then you try and sell these bits, do you?
0:12:02 > 0:12:07- Yes, I sell them to get money. - So you can buy food?- Yeah.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09When Philip can't find enough junk,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12he has no other choice but to beg for food.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- So you eat leftovers?- Yes.- OK.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19What, do you come into this restaurant here?
0:12:19 > 0:12:21THEY SPEAK THEIR OWN LANGUAGE
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Is he going to give you a bit of his food?
0:12:33 > 0:12:35'When you see children... Philip is 12.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39'When I think of the kids in my family, I've got a couple of nephews,
0:12:39 > 0:12:43'and the thought that they would be in a situation like that
0:12:43 > 0:12:44'is just so, so horrific.'
0:12:44 > 0:12:49And then you'll eat that a bit later? There wasn't much there.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53'When you're told that there are 20,000 kids on the streets in Kisumu,
0:12:53 > 0:12:57'it's hard to process that.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01'But when you meet them as individuals, it's much more affecting.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04'And that's one of the things that spurs you on.'
0:13:14 > 0:13:17David is two hours behind schedule.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19The freezing conditions have slowed him down,
0:13:19 > 0:13:24and the safety team are worried about the risks of him swimming in the dark.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Trainer Greg goes in to pick up the pace.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Greg's supporting and encouraging him.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32He's in a lot of pain right now.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34And he's trying to keep the pace,
0:13:34 > 0:13:38to keep him going at a pace which will get us through before darkness.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:13:40 > 0:13:42It's so unbelievably gruelling.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Not just swimming that distance, but also being that cold.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50I really don't like failing, and on the first day,
0:13:50 > 0:13:54being 2.5 miles behind was a real drag, and suddenly I was thinking,
0:13:54 > 0:13:58"We're not going to do this in eight days, it will be nine or ten days."
0:14:08 > 0:14:13We're starting a huge day of swimming already feeling rough.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Cos, you know, my arms,
0:14:17 > 0:14:21my back and my neck... Thank you.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23..is all really achy.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27So it's like, I've got to start a 20-mile day of swimming
0:14:27 > 0:14:30in that state, rather than being fresh.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33It's a big day. It's a really big day.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37We're up at six o'clock in the morning,
0:14:37 > 0:14:41for what was going to be an 18.5-mile day,
0:14:41 > 0:14:45but we have two miles to try to squeeze up, if possible.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47So it's going to be a longer day today.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50And the weather forecast is horrendous.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00What's going to keep me going on these really long swims
0:15:00 > 0:15:02is actually the thought of food.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Because when you're doing lots of exercise, you think,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07"I can actually eat anything I like!"
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Because you're burning the calories.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15So all the time I'm in there, I'm just thinking, "Right, I'm going to have...
0:15:15 > 0:15:20"some chocolate. At lunchtime I'm going to have a burger and chips,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23"and I'll have a pizza." I'm going to eat all these bad foods
0:15:23 > 0:15:25you're not meant to eat, for energy.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Blimey. What have we got in the way of food?
0:15:32 > 0:15:36- We've got that lady's cake. - Chocolate. We've got some cake.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40I'd like to have a bit of that lady's cake cos it was so nice.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43The Times say, "Fundraiser Walliams
0:15:43 > 0:15:45"finds the Thames a chilling experience.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49"The comedy star, 40-years-old... blah, blah..."
0:15:49 > 0:15:53- They always put your age in papers. - Why is that?
0:15:53 > 0:15:56- Good coverage. What's this one? - This is the Sun.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01- And I get a thing in the "Sun Says", which I'm very pleased about.- Really?
0:16:01 > 0:16:07"Such selfless dedication demands our admiration."
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Well put.
0:16:09 > 0:16:15- That's THE SUN saying that.- See what I mean?- That's nice, isn't it?
0:16:15 > 0:16:16It is, it's very nice.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19- CHANTING:- David! David! David!
0:16:22 > 0:16:25CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:16:27 > 0:16:30When I heard that he was swimming, he inspired me,
0:16:30 > 0:16:35and I feel happy that he's doing stuff for children who don't have much.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38He's got a lot of guts to swim all that way.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40- A lot of strength. - He does deserve a break.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42HE GROANS
0:16:44 > 0:16:48The repetitive motion of front crawl is causing muscle damage,
0:16:48 > 0:16:53so David needs hard physio at every break to try and relieve the pain.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57It's a very tough schedule.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03What we don't want to do is accumulate lost miles.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06So what we want to do is make sure that if we lose miles,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08we catch them up soon as we can.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13Preparing for this relentless schedule was crucial.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18MUSIC: Theme from "You Only Live Twice"
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Three weeks before the Thames challenge,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Greg took David to Lake Annecy in France.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30It was no holiday - just mile after mile of arduous swimming.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37It's just, you know, it's tough going.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41I like swimming, but it's knackering.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43It'd be a long way to walk or run, wouldn't it?
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Swimming is really knackering.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49This boot camp isn't just about training,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52it's also about being prepared mentally.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57What happens is it starts off physical, the training is incredibly physical, getting ready for it,
0:17:57 > 0:17:59and as we get closer to the challenge,
0:17:59 > 0:18:03the training gets tougher and tougher, and it becomes much more psychological.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08He's such a show off, isn't he?
0:18:08 > 0:18:11'For David, it has been really very difficult.'
0:18:11 > 0:18:16There's been so much training and so much practising for months and months,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19and every day he has to go swimming for hours and hours.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21I don't know how he does it.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23HE GIGGLES
0:18:23 > 0:18:25'Yes, I think he's going to complete it.'
0:18:25 > 0:18:30He's so stubborn, he's not going to give up just like that!
0:18:30 > 0:18:32And he's been training so hard.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42The thing is, what's it going to be like
0:18:42 > 0:18:45day three, four, five, six, seven of the Thames?
0:18:45 > 0:18:47That's what I worry about.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51I've said I'll do it, so I can't get out of it now.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Back in the Thames, day two is proving
0:18:59 > 0:19:01to be exhausting for David.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03His body is struggling with the demands of the swim.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07He's running out of time to get to the final stop at Abingdon.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16- WOMAN:- Well done, David, keep going!- Give me a minute!
0:19:16 > 0:19:21I just felt very sort of desperate and alone in there,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23and I did get stressed.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25What time is it?
0:19:25 > 0:19:29It is 8 o'clock on the dot. Good work. Really good.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34'And I suppose I thought I was failing, you know?'
0:19:34 > 0:19:37I was still behind, it was getting dark,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40and I was probably most frustrated with myself.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42CHEERING
0:19:52 > 0:19:57We've got to make sure that you're going to be finishing in daylight.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59We shouldn't have let you do it tonight.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02All those people - it was fantastic - wanted to get you to the end,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05but we can't let you swim in the dark again.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09We were till 8:30pm in that lock, and it was too dangerous.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16I'd been swimming for probably ten hours, I was really cold,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20and I suppose it's when you've been giving everything you've got,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22but it's just not been enough.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24HE GRUNTS AND GROANS
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Day three, and on top of exhaustion and muscle pain,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42David has been struck down by sickness.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51I just don't think I can eat any more. I just feel so sick.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Get some fluid down then for me.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57And take that vitamin, too, get that down you.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59And it is so hot in here,
0:20:59 > 0:21:03it might be worth going outside for a little wander.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09The medical team think David has swallowed bacteria
0:21:09 > 0:21:13washed into the river after yesterday's torrential rain.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16- How much has he actually eaten this morning?- Nothing.
0:21:16 > 0:21:17David might still eat.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19This is not a guy who gets up in the morning
0:21:19 > 0:21:22and waits till lunchtime to eat. He likes to eat.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Exercise is energy-led.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28You have to have energy on board, and that is catastrophic.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35When you're feeling really sick, what you should be doing
0:21:35 > 0:21:40is just lying in bed, with your mum bringing you Lucozade and Rich Tea biscuits.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45At no point does your mum say what you should really do is go swimming in a river.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50And also, knowing that you are so far behind,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53it's really demoralising. And you start feeling sorry for yourself
0:21:53 > 0:21:58when you're ill, as well. But unfortunately Greg made me get back in.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00So I didn't really have much choice!
0:22:01 > 0:22:05- How are you feeling? - Just like I'm going to vomit.- Do you?
0:22:06 > 0:22:09That is one very tired, sick man.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13And we're squeezing everything we can out of him at the moment.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17'There's a point sometimes when you're really sick
0:22:17 > 0:22:22'that you're almost begging to die because it's such a terrible feeling.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25'I really felt, at certain points, that I was sinking.'
0:22:25 > 0:22:29- Are you worried about him, Greg? - Yeah, seriously worried,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32because he's not a guy that gives up.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34And he's not feeling good.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39'But I just thought, if I CAN put one arm in front of another,
0:22:39 > 0:22:43'then I can get nearer to the finish line.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46'And as long as I could still do that,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49'I was still achieving something.'
0:22:49 > 0:22:51APPLAUSE
0:22:52 > 0:22:56- WOMAN:- Come on, David! Well done, David!
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Hello!
0:22:59 > 0:23:04'With someone in David's situation, what's the best thing to do?'
0:23:04 > 0:23:08The best thing to try and do is stop swimming and go home
0:23:08 > 0:23:11and lie down! He doesn't have that choice.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19He's got diarrhoea, he's losing fluids, he's not able to eat,
0:23:19 > 0:23:22so he's got no energy. And it's a downward spiral from there.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26- How's the sickness feeling? - I feel so sick.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Is it getting a little bit better?
0:23:30 > 0:23:32No, my stomach feels totally churned up.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35David is given an anti-sickness tablet
0:23:35 > 0:23:38to try and settle his stomach.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40- Just leave it there.- OK.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45I've got soup at the next stop, and hot chocolate.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Anything else in particular? Anything running through your mind at all?
0:23:48 > 0:23:52- I can't hear you.- Huh? - I can't hear you.- OK!
0:23:52 > 0:23:56So I can say whatever I like now?
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Thank you.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06- Here's something to cheer you up. The total so far.- Ah.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10Bordering on quarter of a million.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15It's good, it's all worth it. Making a big difference. Keep it together.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Hearing the current total is a timely reminder
0:24:18 > 0:24:21of why David is putting himself through this.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23To raise as much money as he can
0:24:23 > 0:24:26to help vulnerable adults and children, here and abroad.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Kids just like Philip - the 12-year-old homeless boy
0:24:31 > 0:24:33David met in Kisumu in Kenya,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37who is one of thousands in this city with no home.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41But there's one place Philip and his friends can feel safe.
0:24:41 > 0:24:42The HOVIC Centre,
0:24:42 > 0:24:47a project Sport Relief supports that offers an education and shelter.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54That's very good, isn't it?
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Thank God there is somewhere that these kids can come
0:24:57 > 0:25:03and brush their teeth and have a wash and have something to eat.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06How's your breakfast? Nice?
0:25:06 > 0:25:10This is the one place Philip can call home since being orphaned.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Does it feel very different, the life you had four years ago,
0:25:13 > 0:25:15when your mum and dad were alive?
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Yeah.
0:25:20 > 0:25:25- And do you think about your mum and dad a lot?- Sometimes I'm just alone.
0:25:35 > 0:25:36It's OK.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38It's OK to be sad.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48- I think they'd be very proud of you. - Yeah.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Living in this very, very difficult situation.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55You are an amazing little boy.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57May I have a hug?
0:26:09 > 0:26:11APPLAUSE
0:26:25 > 0:26:28I don't like failing.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Um...I'm thinking about, you know,
0:26:32 > 0:26:36the people I met in Kenya, on the last trip I did with Sport Relief,
0:26:36 > 0:26:41and how the money will help people. And I just don't want to give up.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44You know? I mean, I sort of do.
0:26:44 > 0:26:45If there were no consequences,
0:26:45 > 0:26:50if I could just stop and no-one would mind, I would.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52But I feel like I'd be letting people down.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59That is so undignified.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03The whole purpose of this entire challenge
0:27:03 > 0:27:05is to try and replicate what it feels like
0:27:05 > 0:27:08to be 80-years-old on a continual basis!
0:27:13 > 0:27:16The anti-vomiting tablet starts to kick in.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21- CHANTING:- David! David! David! David! David!
0:27:21 > 0:27:24I thought I'd have to at least take this day out to get better,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27but Greg was determined that we could push on.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31But I don't think I could have done it without that pill.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34I didn't feel good,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37but at least I didn't feel like I was going to throw up.
0:27:37 > 0:27:42- # BBC Radio 1! # - Scott Mills!
0:27:42 > 0:27:46David pushes on into the afternoon of day three.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49His sickness is big news, and Radio 1 are keen to talk to him
0:27:49 > 0:27:51about how he's feeling.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55- SCOTT MILLS:- 'Hi, David!' - DAVID CROAKS: 'Hello, my darling.'
0:27:55 > 0:27:57- 'Oh, God!' - THEY LAUGH
0:27:57 > 0:28:00'I've had a bit of a tough day today.'
0:28:00 > 0:28:02'I know.'
0:28:02 > 0:28:06'I was really a bit tearful, Scott, I don't mind telling you.'
0:28:06 > 0:28:10'It's awful because you've got targets to reach places to get to -
0:28:10 > 0:28:14- 'it's a lot of pressure.'- Yeah.'
0:28:14 > 0:28:19- Are you going to play ABBA for me today?- 'Um...ABBA?'
0:28:19 > 0:28:22You keep saying you're going to play a song for me,
0:28:22 > 0:28:26and it's always the songs that YOU want, never the ones that I want.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28'It's just the ones on the playlist.'
0:28:28 > 0:28:31I bet YOU like Dancing Queen by ABBA.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35- It's probably the best song ever recorded.- 'It's a brilliant song.'
0:28:35 > 0:28:38- You know it was written about me? - 'Um...yes!'
0:28:43 > 0:28:47"DANCING QUEEN" PLAYS ON SPEAKERPHONE
0:28:50 > 0:28:53# You can dance, you can jive
0:28:53 > 0:28:57# Having the time of your life
0:28:57 > 0:29:00# Oooh, see that girl
0:29:00 > 0:29:02# Watch that scene
0:29:02 > 0:29:05# Diggin' the dancing queen
0:29:12 > 0:29:15# Diggin' the dancing queen... #
0:29:15 > 0:29:18Hello. Do you want to give me that baby?
0:29:18 > 0:29:22- Oh, I'd love to.- Yes?
0:29:22 > 0:29:25- A beautiful baby.- Thank you. - Well, nice to meet you.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27LAUGHTER
0:29:27 > 0:29:28I'll take that!
0:29:28 > 0:29:31- Bye! - ALL: Bye!
0:29:31 > 0:29:35CHEERING
0:29:37 > 0:29:40BOAT HORNS HONK
0:29:49 > 0:29:51'It's been a day of two halves.'
0:29:51 > 0:29:55There'll be plenty of people watching, saying, "Why didn't Greg
0:29:55 > 0:29:58"stop him from getting in the water? Why did he make him get in the water?"
0:29:58 > 0:30:01But it's because sometimes you've just got to push through it.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05We've lost four miles today, but to turn that on its head,
0:30:05 > 0:30:08if you take a look at the first session of today,
0:30:08 > 0:30:11actually, for me, he's had 12 bonus miles today
0:30:11 > 0:30:15because actually it looked like he wasn't going to do anything at all today.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22CHEERING
0:30:31 > 0:30:34I'm really overwhelmed. I'm just glad he's OK now.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37He seems all right, but I've been so worried all day
0:30:37 > 0:30:40and I feel so bad I couldn't be with him.
0:30:40 > 0:30:45But he's clearly very, very, very brave.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52'The thing that's been astonishing is the people coming out to see me.'
0:30:52 > 0:30:55I've never had such appreciation.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58I've played arenas with Matt on the Little Britain Live Tour,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01which was incredible, but it's different, you know.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04They've come to see as show and you entertain them for two hours
0:31:04 > 0:31:07and, at the end, they show their appreciation.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11But just for people, all those people, to come and just see
0:31:11 > 0:31:15you kind of do a bit of swimming and then get out of the water and wave...
0:31:15 > 0:31:17It's extraordinary.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20I've never known anything like it.
0:31:20 > 0:31:25I mean, you know, it's not just down to me being on TV.
0:31:25 > 0:31:26It's the challenge,
0:31:26 > 0:31:30it's the fact that it's sort of struck a nerve with people.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40David's Thames tummy from yesterday
0:31:40 > 0:31:43means he is four miles behind schedule.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46Today, he has to swim flat-out
0:31:46 > 0:31:49to Reading, 18 miles away.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03- I knew these middle days would be the hardest.- Yeah.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07It's nice there are still people out to support me. I'm just very stiff.
0:32:07 > 0:32:12- Yeah?- Your body's not meant to do this much swimming in one day,
0:32:12 > 0:32:13day after day.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16Urgh!
0:32:16 > 0:32:18Argh!
0:32:18 > 0:32:19Right, do the other side.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22- Urgh!- That's it.
0:32:22 > 0:32:27- It's like someone's punched you repeatedly in the arm.- Yeah, yeah.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30Can I have a kiss? You're all wet.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32That was quite lingering.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34- You want more?- No, thank you.
0:32:34 > 0:32:35LAUGHTER
0:32:35 > 0:32:38Thank you very much.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46It was quite a long time,
0:32:46 > 0:32:48kissing somebody you've just met.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56CHEERING
0:32:56 > 0:32:59- Come on David!- Come on, David!
0:33:11 > 0:33:15David pushes on towards Reading, the half-way mark,
0:33:15 > 0:33:19and the crowds seem to be getting bigger and bigger.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22It's really taken off and captured people's imaginations.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25But I'm really glad because it's been really hard work.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27I must say, if I'd done all this and no-one cared,
0:33:27 > 0:33:31I would have felt a bit stupid, so I'm glad.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33But it's been bigger than I thought.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36You know, people have wanted to come out and see me.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40It feels like a real sort of British event.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44I'm like a sort of one man amphibian Royal Wedding,
0:33:44 > 0:33:46with people sort of waving and cheering.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50You know, they're waving their Union Jacks from the banks,
0:33:50 > 0:33:54so somehow I've... I don't know. It's like Britishness.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56Some sort of expression of Britishness.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59I suppose the eccentricity.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03People of Reading! CHEERING
0:34:03 > 0:34:06This is David Walliams off the TV.
0:34:06 > 0:34:07LAUGHTER AND CHEERING
0:34:07 > 0:34:09Thank you so much for coming out to support me
0:34:09 > 0:34:13and this fantastic cause, Sport Relief.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16I've seen how your money can help people living in poverty
0:34:16 > 0:34:18in the UK and around the world.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21So you all coming out to support me means a lot.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24And let's not forget the people it's helping,
0:34:24 > 0:34:27because me swimming is really quite boring. LAUGHTER
0:34:27 > 0:34:31But helping people living in poverty is exciting. Thank you very much.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37APPLAUSE
0:34:45 > 0:34:48This is my team, my wetsuit team.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52I've got three young guys here who won a competition on Radio 1
0:34:52 > 0:34:55to put a wetsuit on me.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58- Having a lovely old time! - The lucky winners(!)
0:34:58 > 0:35:00I hand-picked them personally,
0:35:00 > 0:35:03from the photos they sent in.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08- Only open to boys. - You've put me right off!
0:35:08 > 0:35:12CHEERING
0:35:12 > 0:35:16We were running out and we were thinking, "Are we going to see him?
0:35:16 > 0:35:19And then, all of a sudden, you just hear this massive cheer
0:35:19 > 0:35:23- "He's round the corner!"- Yeah, yeah. - Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25It was quite remarkable.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29I know he swam the channel, which is a flipping good thing to have done.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33Amazing. I must say, he keeps going all the time with Delhi belly
0:35:33 > 0:35:35or whatever he's got, Thames trouble.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38When you live in the home counties and not in the big city,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41you're not normally part of things like this. It's great to be
0:35:41 > 0:35:44more out in the sticks and be part of a challenge...
0:35:44 > 0:35:47A little village like Shiplake, this is exciting.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50We'll be talking about this for a long time.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52I have to say, my kids thought that we were coming out
0:35:52 > 0:35:55to support Robbie, Williams, so...(SNORTS)
0:35:55 > 0:35:57Slight disappointment on their part then.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02Keep going!
0:36:02 > 0:36:05It's lovely waving at people you've never met,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08but it's also really nice to see a friendly face.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Ha-ha! This is insane. Hey, David!
0:36:11 > 0:36:13CHEERING
0:36:13 > 0:36:16'I was genuinely, really beaming when I saw Jimmy Carr,
0:36:16 > 0:36:20'because he always makes me laugh, he always makes me smile.'
0:36:20 > 0:36:22CHEERING
0:36:22 > 0:36:24How are you?
0:36:24 > 0:36:25It's Jimmy Carr!
0:36:25 > 0:36:26CHEERING
0:36:26 > 0:36:28Thank you, thank you.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30'I sponsored you for 50p,'
0:36:30 > 0:36:33- but per length.- Oh, right. - It's only one...
0:36:33 > 0:36:36- One length.- I mean, it's fine. I will pay if you finish.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40Will you do something again, do you think, to help others?
0:36:40 > 0:36:43No, no I don't think so. I've given it quite a lot of thought.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45That isn't just off the top of my head.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50David Walliams, everyone! He's from television.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53David, do one of your catchphrases. There's an audience.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57It's a weird thing now to see a friend
0:36:57 > 0:37:00become as famous for doing this as he is for his comedy.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03Yeah, it's odd, isn't it?
0:37:03 > 0:37:06Come on, David! And the other fella!
0:37:07 > 0:37:10You know, I've seen him a bit this year in...
0:37:10 > 0:37:12It's that thing of, "Are you coming out tonight?
0:37:12 > 0:37:14"Coming out to dinner?" "No, I can't.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17"I've got to get up at six and be in a lake."
0:37:17 > 0:37:20"Oh, right. We're going to dinner."
0:37:20 > 0:37:23"Sure you want to go in a lake? It doesn't sound as good."
0:37:23 > 0:37:26"We're going somewhere nice." "No, lake."
0:37:26 > 0:37:28It's weird how many things he's got going.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32He does the comedy thing, he does the children's book thing.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34That's been weirdly... Who knew?
0:37:34 > 0:37:37Who knew people would want to buy a children's book off him?
0:37:37 > 0:37:38I think it's weird.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40But he's got a very nice line and, actually,
0:37:40 > 0:37:44the children's books are all about the self-loathing,
0:37:44 > 0:37:48all about feeling a bit strange, like you don't quite belong.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51David's taken that feeling of "I don't quite fit in"
0:37:51 > 0:37:55and he's used it to his advantage, whether through comedy and seeing
0:37:55 > 0:37:59the world in a different way or through something like this where
0:37:59 > 0:38:01you've got a sort of singular determination.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05You know, a real, "Right, I'm going to do this despite what they say."
0:38:05 > 0:38:10CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:38:10 > 0:38:12- Oh, what's that?- Alcohol.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16David has fully recovered from his sickness, but is still in pain.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19The rubbing from the wetsuit has stripped the skin
0:38:19 > 0:38:21off the back of his neck.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25Argh! Arrgh!
0:38:25 > 0:38:29Have you noticed, David? I'm not crying like a baby. Here, look.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32Hard, mate. Ah, god!
0:38:32 > 0:38:38Ooh! That really is hurting. Holy schmoly!
0:38:38 > 0:38:41- Perfectly good reaction. - HE LAUGHS
0:38:41 > 0:38:43That really does hurt, doesn't it?
0:38:43 > 0:38:45Yeah. I mean, it's worse than what we had,
0:38:45 > 0:38:48the original pain. This new pain that you create.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50It really, really does hurt. Ooh!
0:38:50 > 0:38:51CHEERING
0:38:51 > 0:38:54At least the ever increasing crowds keep coming.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56I got into the habit of thinking,
0:38:56 > 0:38:58"Well, if there's people, I'll wave."
0:38:58 > 0:39:02You know, because you'd occasionally get them at bridges and places.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04And then it became like certain places,
0:39:04 > 0:39:08it was just all people along the side and then I had to just...
0:39:08 > 0:39:10I was thinking, "Right, who are you going to wave to?"
0:39:10 > 0:39:13"You've got to swim. It can't all be waving."
0:39:13 > 0:39:16So I think, "OK, someone with a sign."
0:39:16 > 0:39:18They get a wave because they've put some work in
0:39:18 > 0:39:21to that sign. OK, kids get a wave.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23And then someone with a flag gets a wave
0:39:23 > 0:39:27and I'm like, "Oh, no. That's still too many people."
0:39:27 > 0:39:30I would swim for a bit and then wait and then wave.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33And then Greg would tell me get a move on and stop waving!
0:39:33 > 0:39:36How far is he?
0:39:39 > 0:39:43I think you can hear from the cheers of the crowd on the other bank
0:39:43 > 0:39:46that David Walliams is just round the bend of the Thames.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48Marlow was incredible,
0:39:48 > 0:39:51because I was swimming in to be live on TV,
0:39:51 > 0:39:54so there were probably even more people there
0:39:54 > 0:39:58because they heard about it through The One Show.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02And there was synchronised swimmers, there was Angela Rippon.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05And his wife, obviously the first person to greet him
0:40:05 > 0:40:07and give him a big kiss.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11- I know, sorry. My wife has to come first.- Of course she has.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15David, you must be so pleased to get your feet on dry land.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Oh, definitely. What an amazing turn out of people in Marlow.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22There's a lot of people missing The One Show tonight to be here.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24CHEERING
0:40:26 > 0:40:30'And then I was taken round in a boat to wave at people.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33'Never in my life has waving in itself been enough.'
0:40:33 > 0:40:36I've had to sort of do something,
0:40:36 > 0:40:39'like say something funny or dress up.'
0:40:39 > 0:40:42I'll have my own little Dave-mobile soon, for waving at people.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44'It was incredible.'
0:40:44 > 0:40:46I've never had that before
0:40:46 > 0:40:49and it was really overwhelming.
0:40:53 > 0:40:58At that point, I thought maybe the swim should be extended.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01Maybe I should keep going for the rest of my life,
0:41:01 > 0:41:04and pop up in places and wave to people
0:41:04 > 0:41:06if I'm going to get this kind of adulation.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10CHEERING
0:41:23 > 0:41:28The next stretch of David's challenge is from Marlow to Windsor.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31London is almost in touching distance.
0:41:31 > 0:41:36It's a 17 mile swim, so he will need lots of energy.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40I think three. Three sachets, don't you think?
0:41:40 > 0:41:43He probably needs 16 if he's swimming the Thames,
0:41:43 > 0:41:47but three's going to have to do.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49Now, water.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51I can't believe
0:41:51 > 0:41:54that this is what we're doing
0:41:54 > 0:41:57for a man who's swimming the Thames.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59That this is what he gets.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02Me ripping sachets of some
0:42:02 > 0:42:06probably slightly bland porridge.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09It's just kind of highly skilled.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16When he decided to swim the Channel, I remember him saying
0:42:16 > 0:42:20that he just wanted to give something back.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23He was never sporty at school, and that's what's amazing.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26To do something like this, which is all about just getting
0:42:26 > 0:42:29through the day and seeing what you and your body and your spirit
0:42:29 > 0:42:32and your soul can cope with, it kind of reminds us
0:42:32 > 0:42:35how the people we're raising money for are living.
0:42:35 > 0:42:40You know, because that's how they're living. Just getting by, very poor.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43So I think it also reminds me of that.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46David's fans continue to flock to the banks,
0:42:46 > 0:42:51but one in particular gets a bit too close for comfort.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53I was swimming along and then this...
0:42:53 > 0:42:56I heard this plop behind me and I thought,
0:42:56 > 0:43:00"Ooh, has somebody got in the water?" And then I saw it was a dog.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03I love dogs and I sort of doggy-paddled along with it.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05That was sweet.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10Then the dog tried to get out of the water and couldn't,
0:43:10 > 0:43:12and the owner tried to pull it
0:43:12 > 0:43:15by the sort of harness lead thing.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17And then that broke,
0:43:17 > 0:43:21so then I swam back and pushed the dog up onto the bank.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23Yay!
0:43:23 > 0:43:26CHEERING
0:43:28 > 0:43:30Yeah, David Walliams saved my dog.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33- No, I didn't expect that! - HE LAUGHS
0:43:33 > 0:43:37Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
0:43:37 > 0:43:38Oh, no!
0:43:38 > 0:43:40- He can't eat that! - SHE LAUGHS
0:43:40 > 0:43:44He's been swimming for five days.
0:43:44 > 0:43:46He can't have that!
0:43:46 > 0:43:49I think I've done quite well in making you...
0:43:49 > 0:43:54- There's no spoon even.- It's meant to be porridge.- What happened?- Um...
0:43:54 > 0:43:58Do you want to eat it with my glasses? They've got a nice bowl.
0:43:58 > 0:44:02- What is this?- You could maybe... - Why have you come here?
0:44:02 > 0:44:04- Just to torment me?- To help, look!
0:44:04 > 0:44:06Have a croissant, darling.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08- Disgusting!- Dip it with a croissant.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10What I actually need to tell you is...
0:44:10 > 0:44:14- What have you put in it? - Porridge and water.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16Why have you done this to me?
0:44:16 > 0:44:19Because I thought you needed this level of support.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22CHEERING
0:44:22 > 0:44:26# Well, I won't back down
0:44:26 > 0:44:30# No, I won't back down
0:44:30 > 0:44:35# You can stand me up at the gates of hell
0:44:35 > 0:44:39# But I won't back down
0:44:39 > 0:44:43# Gonna stand my ground
0:44:43 > 0:44:47# Won't be turned around
0:44:47 > 0:44:51# And I'll keep this world from dragging me down...#
0:44:51 > 0:44:52I'm here for you!
0:44:56 > 0:45:00David's remarkably disciplined and remarkably focused.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03He's seriously one of the most focused people I've ever known.
0:45:03 > 0:45:08- Have you done your Ronnie Corbett impression?- Not yet, no. - Have you done your Tom Jones?
0:45:08 > 0:45:11When he did his cross-Channel swim,
0:45:11 > 0:45:13he was training for that while he was on tour.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17So it was amazing that I don't think he missed a single training session
0:45:17 > 0:45:22when he was doing that, so he really is a very driven, very focused,
0:45:22 > 0:45:25very determined, stubborn,
0:45:25 > 0:45:29unpleasant, nasty man. That's how I would sum him up.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33- What's the worst part of it? - The cold.
0:45:33 > 0:45:38Maybe just the pain in my arms and shoulders because
0:45:38 > 0:45:41your body's not designed to do that for ten hours a day.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43Yeah. You've done a lot of things
0:45:43 > 0:45:46your body's not designed to do though, to be fair.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48LAUGHTER
0:45:48 > 0:45:52- And you've not complained before. - No, I know!- If anything, you've...
0:45:52 > 0:45:54- You know, you've...- Welcomed it! - Yeah.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56When are you going to do Ronnie Corbett?
0:45:56 > 0:46:01If you think I'm so predictable that I would just fall into...
0:46:02 > 0:46:05..a Ronnie Corbett...impression...
0:46:05 > 0:46:09- Please, it would keep me going. - RONNIE CORBETT VOICE: Ha-ha-ha!
0:46:09 > 0:46:13I'll never forget the day! Ha-ha-ha! There was David,
0:46:13 > 0:46:16swimming down the Thames.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19I said, "Come in, the water's lovely."
0:46:19 > 0:46:23- CHANTING:- David Walliams! David Walliams! David Walliams!
0:46:23 > 0:46:26Can I ask you some questions?
0:46:26 > 0:46:29David?
0:46:29 > 0:46:31Can I ask you some questions?
0:46:32 > 0:46:36David! You rude man!
0:46:36 > 0:46:40Could I ask you some questions? Oi!
0:46:40 > 0:46:43You! Hello!
0:46:43 > 0:46:46- What?- Would you please give me some attention.- What?
0:46:46 > 0:46:50- I just wanted to chat to you for a minute.- Well, I can't. I'm swimming.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53- Is there going to be any more Little Britain?- No!
0:46:53 > 0:46:57- Right, well carry on.- OK, thank you.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01I'm doing OK.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05I mean, it's hard, I'm finding it tiring, but I'm going to keep going.
0:47:05 > 0:47:10It's just knowing all these people have come out to support me.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12It got bad. We left the lock
0:47:12 > 0:47:15about seven, eight minutes ago.
0:47:15 > 0:47:19I think about two minutes in, it got really scary.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22But I'm just going to keep going. I'm not going to give up.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25I've got this idiot in front of me who keeps getting in the way.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27I mean, I could do without that.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31There's a new series of Strictly starting tonight, so get a move on!
0:47:48 > 0:47:50I've never applauded him before, isn't that the odd thing?
0:47:50 > 0:47:53I've been to lots of his shows.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56CHEERING
0:48:01 > 0:48:03It was fantastic. I actually cried.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05Yeah.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08Because to see all these people cheering him...
0:48:08 > 0:48:11Yeah.
0:48:22 > 0:48:246.00am.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29Still dark, but swim we must.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33Today's goal is to get to Teddington lock,
0:48:33 > 0:48:37marking the end of the non-tidal Thames.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39It is 24 miles away.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42David has never swam that far before in one day.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47In the really dark periods, you know,
0:48:47 > 0:48:51when Greg says dig deep after you've already swum 20 miles,
0:48:51 > 0:48:56it's good to remember why you're doing it and what good it can do.
0:48:56 > 0:48:57I've done loads of fun things as well,
0:48:57 > 0:49:02you know for Comic Relief, sketches and things like that, but there's...
0:49:02 > 0:49:06But the effect of doing something hard just seems greater to me.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09It seems to resonate more with people.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13- Hello, Mum. How are you? - Hello, darling.- How are you?
0:49:13 > 0:49:16- I'm all right, how are you? - Yeah, OK!
0:49:16 > 0:49:19'But it's amazing, I think, you know, the amount of people.'
0:49:19 > 0:49:25- If people respond to you, you do better.- Perform better, yeah.- Yeah.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28You said that when you first did a school play
0:49:28 > 0:49:33and you started to be a bit... Act up a bit that you thought, "This is great."
0:49:33 > 0:49:35It's called showing off!
0:49:35 > 0:49:36SHE LAUGHS
0:49:36 > 0:49:42I don't think I've ever been quite so proud of him as what he's achieved this week.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44I know his father would've been so proud.
0:49:44 > 0:49:48Although he's successful in his professional life,
0:49:48 > 0:49:52that he's so prepared to do things for other people.
0:49:52 > 0:49:57That he hasn't thought, "Well, I'm where I am but I haven't got to give anything back."
0:49:57 > 0:50:01The fact he's prepared to give things back makes you very proud.
0:50:01 > 0:50:02CHEERING
0:50:02 > 0:50:06# You said that I'm the best swimmer you've seen
0:50:06 > 0:50:09# Give me a ring
0:50:12 > 0:50:17# You sat there up on your high chair... #
0:50:17 > 0:50:19CHEERING, APPLAUSE AND HONKING
0:50:21 > 0:50:25David has already swum the equivalent of the Channel,
0:50:25 > 0:50:2721 miles, but still has three to go.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30But conditions are getting worse due to the after-affects
0:50:30 > 0:50:34of a hurricane that has swept in from the Atlantic.
0:50:34 > 0:50:38The point is now, he is...physically exhausted.
0:50:38 > 0:50:43He's done, like, 124 miles by the time he finishes today, in seven days.
0:50:43 > 0:50:47You can imagine the physical exhaustion that comes with that.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51Add on top of that the psychological exhaustion. This is day after day.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54Very little sleep and what sleep he is getting is pain sleep
0:50:54 > 0:50:56because his body's in pain.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00And the weather conspires to make it that much more miserable.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02Come on, David!
0:51:02 > 0:51:05You needed to get to Teddington Lock before it got dark.
0:51:05 > 0:51:10I swam about 20 miles and then I was told that the light was fading.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13It was just about to get dark and could I speed up?!
0:51:13 > 0:51:17Which, when you've swum 20 miles and someone says, "Can you speed up?"
0:51:17 > 0:51:18It's like, "I'll TRY!"
0:51:18 > 0:51:23You've got to really drive it now, cos we haven't got much light left. You've really got to push it.
0:51:23 > 0:51:30- Come on!- Whoo! Whoo! Come on, David!
0:51:31 > 0:51:35'I just thought in my head, "Right, how fast would you swim'
0:51:35 > 0:51:38"if a shark was following you?"
0:51:38 > 0:51:41I thought, "It'd be quite fast!" So I just thought of that.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44Come on, David!
0:51:48 > 0:51:50Whoo!
0:52:03 > 0:52:05Whoo!
0:52:07 > 0:52:11- CHANTING:- David, David, David, David!
0:52:12 > 0:52:16CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:52:20 > 0:52:24I mean, look. It's insane. There's thousands of people.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27You just get goosebumps all over.
0:52:27 > 0:52:35But I think he deserves it. He's a hero, he swam 124 miles in a week.
0:52:37 > 0:52:43Swimming! That's ridiculous. He's never allowed to do it again.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50It's the last day.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53After more than 70 hours of relentless swimming,
0:52:53 > 0:52:56David has 16 miles to go.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58I CAN believe it's the last day
0:52:58 > 0:53:00because I've been swimming for seven days
0:53:00 > 0:53:05for 125 miles and I am ready for it to end.
0:53:05 > 0:53:10So you go, "It's only 15 miles to go."
0:53:10 > 0:53:1115 miles is a long way to swim!
0:53:11 > 0:53:18How many people have swum 15 miles in a day? So...I can believe it.
0:53:18 > 0:53:22My arms can believe it, my neck can believe it, my back...
0:53:25 > 0:53:28I mean, it's just constant, constant pain now.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42Nobody should ever swim in this stretch of the Thames.
0:53:42 > 0:53:46It's far too hazardous. A law is being passed to ban it.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49David is only able to do this because of the safety boats
0:53:49 > 0:53:51that are watching him.
0:53:52 > 0:53:56Getting in after Teddington Lock, I was definitely more nervous
0:53:56 > 0:53:58cos if you stand on a bridge in central London
0:53:58 > 0:53:59and look at the river,
0:53:59 > 0:54:03there's no way you want to get in there and swim.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06It's travelling really fast, it's really wide.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10The water's brown and so...
0:54:10 > 0:54:13I really was quite scared even though I was at the end.
0:54:13 > 0:54:17I thought, "This is a much more hostile environment to swim in."
0:54:17 > 0:54:21Once the tide turns it'll be too strong to swim against,
0:54:21 > 0:54:24and he will have to get out and wait. It's not over yet.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27I'm just thinking I hope nothing goes wrong,
0:54:27 > 0:54:30I hope no-one drops a brick on me from a bridge or...
0:54:30 > 0:54:33You know, I drown or the tide changes
0:54:33 > 0:54:38or Godzilla comes out of the Thames or something cos then it's all over!
0:54:38 > 0:54:42Stay nice and tight on that right, mate, OK? So straight in...
0:54:42 > 0:54:46'So I'm just praying that everything just goes totally smoothly.'
0:54:57 > 0:55:01Eight painful and exhausting days.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08Swimming through seven long counties.
0:55:21 > 0:55:22One dog saved.
0:55:24 > 0:55:28Over 68,000 calories burned.
0:55:28 > 0:55:34111,352 strokes.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40And a sea of people turning up to see the fastest man ever
0:55:40 > 0:55:45to swim 140 miles of the River Thames.
0:55:45 > 0:55:46CHEERING
0:55:51 > 0:55:54Sometimes people write in articles, why on earth is he doing it?
0:55:54 > 0:55:56I know exactly why I'm doing it
0:55:56 > 0:56:00because I've seen how the money raised through Comic Relief
0:56:00 > 0:56:04and Sport Relief helps people around the world and the people I met
0:56:04 > 0:56:08and especially Philip, the homeless boy in Kenya.
0:56:08 > 0:56:12That's my motivation. There is no other motivation for this.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24I mean, it's amazing.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27He has raised, without a doubt, in excess of £1 million.
0:56:27 > 0:56:32He is the most remarkable man. Tremendous.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35# We've got open arms
0:56:35 > 0:56:41# For broken hearts
0:56:41 > 0:56:45# Like yours, my boy
0:56:45 > 0:56:48# Come home again. #
0:56:48 > 0:56:53- CHANTING:- David, David, David, David, David!
0:56:59 > 0:57:01CHEERING
0:57:01 > 0:57:05- # Everyone's here - # We've got open arms
0:57:05 > 0:57:07# Everyone's here. #
0:57:07 > 0:57:10So proud that he's achieved this,
0:57:10 > 0:57:12- I don't know where he gets all the strength from.- No.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15Somewhere deep down inside he finds it.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19David was inspired to do this extraordinary challenge
0:57:19 > 0:57:21by his trip to Kenya.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25It costs just £5 to feed ten street kids there for a whole week.
0:57:30 > 0:57:33Sport Relief does crucial work
0:57:33 > 0:57:36helping vulnerable people at home and abroad.
0:57:52 > 0:57:54Such a sense of relief.
0:57:54 > 0:57:58When I saw that it was front page news on about four papers,
0:57:58 > 0:58:00I was like, "Blimey!" This is big.
0:58:00 > 0:58:05It was an incredible feeling. "I'm front-page news tomorrow!"
0:58:05 > 0:58:11And it's not something bad, it's something good. Which is a change!
0:58:11 > 0:58:14- I think I'll manage the trunks on my own!- Are you sure?
0:58:14 > 0:58:16Let's go and have a drink.
0:58:16 > 0:58:20# We've got open arms
0:58:20 > 0:58:25# For broken hearts
0:58:25 > 0:58:32# Like yours, my boy
0:58:32 > 0:58:36# The moon wants a scrap or a cuddle
0:58:36 > 0:58:40# The moon is face down in a puddle
0:58:40 > 0:58:44# And everyone's here. #
0:58:44 > 0:58:48Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd