David Walliams has lost his ride at Alton Towers amid fallout from allegations that he harassed young women at his former publisher, adding to a series of career setbacks that began with his departure from Britain's Got Talent.
The children's author and comedian, once one of UK showbusiness's biggest stars, has seen his professional standing change dramatically in recent years. He denies the claims against him.
Rise to fame and television success
Walliams was born David Williams in Wimbledon, south west London, to parents Peter and Kathleen. He changed his stage name to differentiate himself from a peer with the same name at his theatre school. In 1990, he joined the National Youth Theatre, where he met his future comedy partner Matt Lucas.
After a few small television appearances, Walliams and Lucas rose to fame with their sketch show Little Britain, broadcast on BBC 4 for three seasons between 2003 and 2006. The show was an instant hit, leading to Comic Relief commissions, a two-part Christmas special in 2006, and a live touring stage show.
In 2010, the pair launched a second mockumentary series, Come Fly with Me, which featured guest appearances from Geri Halliwell, David Schwimmer, Rupert Grint, and Barbara Windsor. The series was commissioned for a second season, but Lucas refused to take part, according to Walliams in 2013, leading to its cancellation.
Children's author and charity work
Walliams pivoted from adult humour to become a children's author. His first book, The Boy in the Dress, was released in 2008 and praised by critics for its tolerance, freedom, and positivity. Its illustrations by Quentin Blake led to comparisons with Roald Dahl.
He went on to write dozens more novels, short story collections, and picture books. Some, like Mr Stink and Billionaire Boy, were adapted into musicals and screenplays. His books were translated into 53 languages, and by 2018 he was the UK's single biggest-selling author, accounting for 40% of all best-selling children's books sold that year.
Walliams also participated in deep-water swimming stunts for charity. He raised £1m for Sport Relief in 2006 after swimming the 21-mile English Channel, and two years later swam down the Strait of Gibraltar for the same organisation. His toughest challenge was a 140-mile swim down the Thames from Gloucestershire to London, raising more than £1m in the Big Splash Challenge for Sport Relief in 2011. He was awarded an OBE in 2017 for services to charity and the arts.
Britain's Got Talent and public apology
From 2012, Walliams served as a judge on Britain's Got Talent alongside Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and Simon Cowell. He won Best TV Judge four times at the NTAs in 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2020. In 2015, he pressed the Golden Buzzer for Lorraine Bowen after her self-composed song "The Crumble Song," which had been rejected by the other three judges.
Walliams and Lucas issued a public apology in 2020 for their sketch shows, which had faced criticism over portrayals of marginalised groups and people with disabilities, as well as the use of blackface. The BBC pulled the shows from iPlayer in 2020; they have since returned, heavily edited to remove racist and offensive characters.
Leaked audio and loss of roles
In 2022, leaked audio revealed that Walliams had made sexually explicit and derogatory remarks about a contestant on Britain's Got Talent at an audition show at the London Palladium in 2020. The comments were picked up by microphones used to record judges' comments for spin-off shows.
Walliams apologised in a statement, saying: "I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain's Got Talent in 2020. These were private conversations and – like most conversations with friends – were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry."
The language was deemed inappropriate by production company Fremantle, and Walliams later left the show, replaced by Bruno Tonioli. He sued Fremantle for breach of data, misuse of private information, financial loss, and psychiatric harm. They reached a resolution in 2023, with Fremantle issuing an apology for leaking the private conversations.
In December 2025, it emerged that Walliams was no longer an ambassador for The Children's Trust. A spokesperson told the Mail: "After a review of our ambassador programme earlier in the year, David Walliams is no longer an ambassador of The Children's Trust."
Also in December 2025, HarperCollins dropped Walliams following an internal investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour and harassment towards junior female staff members. The Telegraph reported that some junior staff were kept away from Walliams, while others were advised to work in pairs when meeting him. A spokesperson for HarperCollins said it had decided not to release any new titles by Walliams "after careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO," without giving a reason.
A spokesperson for Walliams said he had "never been informed of any allegations raised against him" by his publisher. "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 spokesperson added.
In September 2026, HarperCollins severed all ties with Walliams, halting sales of his books entirely. Alton Towers has now confirmed that The World of David Walliams attraction will be permanently closed from November 3, 2026.
