Walliams taking on Thames for Sport Relief (From Elmbridge Guardian)

Walliams taking on Thames for Sport Relief

8:54am Sunday 4th September 2011 in News By Louise Robertson

TV funnyman David Walliams may struggle to find something to smile about when he attempts to swim the River Thames.

Especially because he will be descending into murky water that harbours a cocktail of bacteria such as e-coli, salmonella, hepatitis - and raw sewage.

Walliams - best known for BBC comedy series Little Britain - will try to swim the equivalent of seven English Channel crossings for The BT Sport Relief Challenge: Walliams vs The Thames.

He will be swimming under the soon to be replaced Walton bridge, then Kingston and Richmond bridges after setting off on September 5 from Lechlade, Gloucestershire, en route to Big Ben - aiming to finish in eight days.

Walliams, who will have a specialist support team looking after him, said: "Most people in the UK know the Thames, and most people think the idea of swimming in it is horrifying.

"And it is. It'll be relentless. It's a huge distance so I'll need all the support I can get.

"It's really not a safe environment to swim in - people really mustn't try this, I have an incredible team of experts to help keep me safe.

"If there's a lot of rainfall there'll be a lot of sewage present so I've had to have loads of jabs. And aside from anything else, you can't see anything.

"There's zero visibility in the water - I won't even be able to see the end of my arm."

Organisers are unable to predict when Walliams will swim through each borough as specific timings are subject to change.

However, anyone wanting to go and cheer the popular comedian on can follow his progress using a live online tracker on the Sport Relief website - sportrelief.com.

To sponsor him visit sportrelief.com/walliams.