David Walliams has been named as the celebrity at the centre of a sex claim injunction after losing a High Court challenge against two media organisations. The former Little Britain and Britain’s Got Talent star brought legal action against Independent Television News (ITN) and Guardian News and Media (GNM), publisher of The Guardian.
The court heard they intended to report his alleged “abuse of power and status” to contact young women and try to engage in “inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities”. Walliams, who has always denied the claims, was seeking an injunction to prevent this broadcast and publication because of a risk that he would take his own life, following two previous suicide attempts.
Injunction denied and appeal deadline passes
Judge Mr Justice Nicklin denied the injunction on November 3, and his legal team decided not to appeal before the deadline ended today, which means Walliams can be named as the man at the centre of the case. ITN, which produces news programmes for ITV, Channel 4, Good Morning Britain and Channel 5, and the Guardian are now beginning to publish their allegations against him in full.
Gavin Millar KC, for ITN and GNM, had said during the court hearing in October that the case risks “dragging judges into assessing the causes of suicidal ideation, which are for professionals and not for a judge”. He added: “The obligation falls on the hospital to keep him safe, and that's that.”
Public interest in publication
Millar later said: “Plainly the proposed publication would make a valuable contribution to a debate of public importance, about men using their power to be able to misconduct themselves against women in that area of society.” The barrister added in written submissions that the allegations were gathered after “a wide-ranging and rigorous investigation” and that there was a “strong” public interest in publishing them.
He had said that they intend to publish “numerous allegations” that the man had abused his status “over the course of many years” to try to engage in “inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities with a large number of girls and young women”. Sara Mansoori KC, for Walliams, who was at that stage the unnamed “famous” man, said he denies the allegations of wrongdoing and that publication “would have a potentially fatal impact”. She told the court: “The only reason they would not be fatal is because the claimant would be locked up and prevented from his desire to end his life.”
Walliams' recent controversies
Walliams has largely been out of the public spotlight in 2026. Walliams’ book publisher HarperCollins dropped him in December 2025, following an investigation into allegations he had “harassed” young women. Walliams strongly denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
A statement from a spokesperson in December said: “David has never been informed of any allegations raised against him by HarperCollins. He was not party to any investigation or given any opportunity to answer questions. David strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately and is taking legal advice.”
The former Britain’s Got Talent judge, known for appearing in comedy shows including Come Fly With Me and Little Britain alongside Matt Lucas, has sold more than 60 million copies of his books globally. They include The Boy In The Dress, Fing, and Gangsta Granny, the latter of which was turned into a one-hour BBC special in 2013, followed by a sequel starring Sheridan Smith in 2022.
He left Britain’s Got Talent in 2022 after he apologised for making “disrespectful comments” about auditioning contestants during filming breaks in January 2020 at the London Palladium. In 2023, Britain’s Got Talent producer Fremantle apologised and reached an “amicable resolution” with Walliams after the remarks he made while on the show were leaked.
