Downing Street has described the allegations against David Walliams as “deeply troubling” after he was named in an investigation as the celebrity accused of grooming and sexually inappropriate behaviour towards multiple women.
Walliams, 55, brought legal action against Independent Television News (ITN) and Guardian News and Media (GNM), publisher of The Guardian, ahead of the two organisations reporting allegations against him, including of sexual misconduct and potential criminal activity.
Lawyers for the media organisations previously told the High Court in London that the allegations involved Walliams’ alleged “abuse of power and status” to contact young women and try to engage in “inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities”.
Injunction bid dismissed
Denying the claims, Walliams unsuccessfully sought an injunction to prevent the publications because of the risk he would take his own life, after two previous suicide attempts. Walliams was granted anonymity during the proceedings, which was lifted after his injunction bid was dismissed and GNM and ITN published their investigations on Tuesday (November 10).
The court was told by the media organisations’ lawyers during a two-day trial in October that the allegations were gathered after “a wide-ranging and rigorous investigation” and that there was a “strong” public interest in publishing them. Reporters had spoken to more than 100 people, including more than 30 sources with first-hand accounts as well as Walliams’ friends and colleagues, Gavin Millar KC said.
Walliams’ lawyers said that he had initially attempted suicide after receiving letters from ITN and GNM asking for his reply to the allegations, because of “long-term trauma and the fear of trial by media”.
Judge's ruling and response
Sara Mansoori KC, for Walliams, said in written submissions that Walliams “has no intention of returning to public life” and that the author had not “spuriously raised ‘mental health’ concerns in the face of an impending publication that they do not wish to occur”.
The bid for an injunction was refused by Judge Mr Justice Nicklin, who ruled it would be an “exceptionally serious interference” with freedom of expression. The 52-page judgment also saw the judge say that granting the injunction would not treat the man’s psychiatric condition or eliminate his elevated risk. He continued that hospitals and health staff caring for Walliams, who was detained under the Mental Health Act in October, meant that the state had “assumed responsibility” for his immediate safety and “can provide significant protection”, which “materially reduces the likelihood of suicide”.
After Walliams was named in the investigation, Downing Street described the allegations against him as “deeply troubling”. Asked about the investigation by ITN and GNM, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I don’t think we’ve seen the full extent of the reporting. They’re clearly deeply troubling allegations, and the Government will doubtless respond to them during the course of the day, I’m sure.”
Career and recent developments
Walliams is known for appearing in comedy shows including Come Fly With Me and Little Britain alongside Matt Lucas, selling more than 60 million copies of his children’s books globally, and being a judge on Britain’s Got Talent from 2012 to 2022. His book publisher HarperCollins, who published The Boy In The Dress, Fing, and Gangsta Granny, dropped him in December 2025, after an investigation into allegations he had “harassed” young women, which Walliams strongly denied.
Earlier this month, theme park Alton Towers permanently closed its World Of David Walliams attraction, which featured rides inspired by the books.
