A POPULAR entertainer gave comedy fans a million reasons to smile at a fundraising event.

Funnyman and television host David Walliams was the guest of honour at a special dinner which helped raise £1 million for Prestwich-based charity, The Fed.

The star of hit BBC comedy show Little Britain and a Britain’s Got Talent judge, Walliams regaled the 550-strong audience at Old Trafford Cricket Ground with stories from his illustrious career.

Funds raised will go towards the running of Heathlands Village care home in Heathlands Drive, Prestwich, and the charity's efforts to provide a wide range of care services to Jewish people in the community.

At the dinner, held on April 30, Walliams said: "I am very proud to be associated with such an amazing charity.

"I'm staggered by the breadth of its work and the number of people it helps.

"I hope my attendance contributes to this being a very successful event and that the money raised will go a long way to helping The Fed maintain its services over the next two years."

The biennial event is the Fed's key fundraiser, helping it support more than 1,000 people at any one time.

Speakers in previous years have included Sir Bob Geldof, Joanna Lumley and James Corden.

The Fed's treasurer Bernie Yaffe said: "This stands us in good stead to achieve our overall target of £1.6m which represents our annual operating deficit."

Guests were addressed by The Fed's chairman Mark Adlestone, who spoke of how the Fed is referred to as a flagship organisation.

He added: "Why is that? Because our standards are high, our standards are excellent.

"We have smashed the traditional concept of the old home and created an inter-generational site where the old and the young are together in one vibrant place."

Interviewed by BBC Radio 4 host Paddy O'Connell, Walliams conceded with regret that Matt Lucas always "made a much more attractive woman" than he.

Showing a clip from the Little Britain's 'Computer says 'no'' sketches, he recalled that the inspiration came from his days before fame when he got a bank loan.

He applied his comic genius by switching the computer's 'yes' to 'no', giving birth to one of Little Britain's most popular catchphrases.

Walliams, who has also swam the English Channel and the river Thames for charity and is a successful children's author, said the best thing about being famous was getting to meet people he admires, such as Paul McCartney.

He added: "And then recently I interviewed Michael Palin and I was thinking: 'How did I get here from being aged 12 and watching Monty Python on the telly?'"