David Walliams and David Schwimmer: a night at The Ivy, 2006

The Ivy, Covent Garden, London · 2026

In September 2006, David Walliams had already swum the English Channel. Dinner at The Ivy with David Schwimmer must have felt like the easier part of the summer.

Little Britain met Friends

Little Britain was one of the biggest comedies in the country, and Walliams was riding high. Its characters and catchphrases had escaped the television and taken over playgrounds, offices and pub conversations. He and Matt Lucas had made a sketch show into a national talking point.

That July, Walliams had added a rather different performance to the summer: an English Channel swim for Sport Relief. It was a long way from a comedy dressing room. By the time September arrived, he had earned a night out without a wetsuit.

On the night of 1 September 2006, I photographed him with David Schwimmer after dinner at The Ivy in London. One of Britain's most recognisable comedy faces and one of America's most recognisable sitcom faces, sharing a stretch of pavement in Covent Garden. It was quite a double bill for a night photographer.

David Walliams in a dark suit and David Schwimmer in a blue jacket outside The Ivy at night. — David Walliams and David Schwimmer leaving The Ivy after dinner on the night of 1 September 2006. Charlie Pycraft / BACKGRID.

Walliams wore a dark suit and tie. Schwimmer went for a blue jacket, jeans and trainers. In four frames they walked from the doorway into the street, glancing across at one another before carrying on. The photographs caught the small change of expression that made working a London pavement worth the wait: a conversation, a grin, then the next step.

Walliams and Schwimmer turned towards one another while walking on the pavement. — A glance across the pavement as Walliams and Schwimmer walked away from The Ivy. Charlie Pycraft / BACKGRID.

There was no grand event to explain. It was dinner, two familiar faces and a short walk into the London night. The contrast did the work: Little Britain met Friends, with The Ivy as the supporting cast.

Walliams smiled beside Schwimmer on a London pavement at night. — Walliams smiled as the pair continued into Covent Garden. Charlie Pycraft / BACKGRID.

Walliams and Schwimmer walking away from The Ivy, London, in September 2006. — The next step into the London night, in the early hours of 2 September 2006. Charlie Pycraft / BACKGRID.

The dinner night was 1 September. The camera timestamps fell in the early hours of 2 September 2006. These four frames came from the same short sequence, preserved as a London nightlife archive.

The pictures

Four archive frames from set BGUK_3732160. Credit: Charlie Pycraft / BACKGRID. Licensing via Backgrid UK Sales, backgrid_uksales@shutterstock.com.