Gangsta Granny is a British comedy-drama television film based on David Walliams' children's comedy fiction book of the same name. The adaptation is by Kevin Cecil and Andy Riley. The first broadcast was on BBC One on 21 December 2013 at 6.16 AM.
Plot
11-year-old Ben lives in Basildon and visits his paternal grandmother's house every Friday while his parents go out dancing. Ben finds Granny, who has an obsession with cabbage products, boring, until he comes across a large box of jewellery while looking for a biscuit. Granny reveals herself to have been an international jewel thief, known as the "Black Cat", involved in many high-profile heists during her youth, but she tells Ben that she was never able to steal the Crown Jewels, kept in the Tower of London. This prompts Ben, who has a passion for plumbing, to devise a plan to raid the Tower. Granny agrees to go along with his plans. At the same time, Ben's parents Mike and Linda, who are dance fanatics and unaware of Ben's passion for plumbing, intend to enrol Ben into a ballroom dancing competition as a partner to Florence. Granny's local neighbours, Mr Parker and his son, watch over Ben's movements to and from Granny's house and suspect that the duo is up to no good. Granny suffers a fall and is found to have a terminal illness. Ben helps her escape from the hospital and the plan for the heist continues. On the day of the heist, he forgets the competition and, not having practised once with Florence, who condemns him to dance alone at the last minute, Ben embarrasses himself on the dance floor. Florence's mother, Kelly, leads a mob against the family after Linda kisses the competition's host, Flavio Flavioli. Following the debacle, Ben returns to his grandmother's house to continue with the heist. After Mr Parker fails to thwart the heist by tipping off a policeman, Ben and Granny are escorted by the police to the Tower. They gain access to the White Tower in which the Crown Jewels are kept through the complex's sewerage system and a diversion which unsettles the patrols of the Tower's Yeoman Warders. Once inside the White Tower, the duo is met by Queen Elizabeth II, who pardons them, in keeping with tradition, as the last person to attempt to steal the Crown Jewels was also pardoned. In front of the Queen, Granny claims that the jewellery in her box is plastic and that she had made up her biography when she had realised how boring Ben thought she was. Ben and Granny are later met by the police, but they get off the hook after Granny points out that they do not have the Crown Jewels with them. Granny dies, and her jewellery box is donated to charity. Ben reads at his local newsagent's that a jewellery box worth millions had been anonymously left at a charity shop. Granny's legacy is remembered, all the way through to Christmas, when the Queen delivers a message that young people should be more caring towards the elderly.
On 26 April 2013, the BBC announced that it had commissioned the adaptation for BBC One. It was commissioned by Danny Cohen, controller of BBC One, and Shane Allen, controller of comedy commissioning. Allen said, "The story delivers on David’s penchant for being outrageously funny, yet poignant and tender as well. This will be a wonderful family viewing treat for this Christmas and we’re thrilled about seeing it make the journey from page to screen." Gangsta Granny began filming on 28 October 2013. David Walliams said: "I am thrilled that we have such a stellar cast of comedy legends for Gangsta Granny. I can only apologise that I am in it too!" Mark Freeland, the controller of BBC comedy production for the BBC, said: "David asked us not to muck up his massively popular book on TV. So we cast him and then added some of the most-loved and wonderful comedy actors in the country. I hope it will be a very special Special."
