Former Holby City actor Jeremy Edwards has said he was 'sexually humiliated' by David Walliams during a live Comic Relief sketch of Little Britain, in which Walliams pulled his trousers down and exposed his genitals in front of around 3,500 people.
The incident took place at London's Hammersmith Apollo in November 2006 and was filmed before being released on a special DVD. After the moment happened, Walliams said: "That was not meant to happen. You were not supposed to see gonad. A*** crack, yes. Gonad, no."
Edwards says he was duped
Edwards, now 55, said he had agreed to take part in the light-hearted sketch but claims he was duped by the disgraced former TV star. Walliams has since been accused of serious sexual misconduct with teenagers as young as 15, allegations he denies.
"It was simply abuse; I did not agree to it," Edwards told the Daily Mail. He added: "You just can't do that to people. Having your trousers pulled down and you're stood there in your boxer shorts is one thing. Having your penis exposed is something very different."
No apology received
Edwards said that had he been told he would be exposed, his answer would have been no. "If I had known I was going to have my genitals exposed in front of all those people then put on a DVD which has sold millions of copies and then for it for now to be on the internet for the rest of my life I wouldn't have done it for a million years," he said.
He said he has never received an apology from Walliams, adding that he is a victim and wishes the sketch never happened. He alleges he was given a script, which included Walliams' character, Des, fancying him before attempting to chase him.
Sketch details and wider criticism
In the clip, which has since gone viral on social media, Walliams tickles Edwards under the arms, causing him to pull his arms to his chest. Walliams then dropped to his knees and pulled Edwards' trousers and underwear down, leaving him naked in front of the crowd.
Edwards commented: "I bent down to pull my trousers up, and when I did that, he knocked me over while I was off balance. Then he mounted me and sexually humiliated me. I was sexually humiliated. It got a massive laugh." He added that he was angry, humiliated and embarrassed by the ordeal.
The sketch, called Hide The Sausage, often appeared with two men, one younger and one older, confirming their age, with Walliams' character taking a particular interest in the younger man. In one clip filmed in Australia, Des asks a contestant to confirm his age, with the boy stating he was 16, to which Des responded: "Bingo! You're a big boy, aren't you? That's what I'll tell the judge."
Another clip showed Des attempting to get intimate with 25-year-old Jamie, who Des describes as "doable" while gazing at his bum, before later tackling him to the floor. The character later grinded against the man's naked bum, before lying on top of him and planting a kiss on him. He went on to rip his jeans down as he walked offstage.
Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell of the Peter Tatchell Foundation slammed the performance in 2020, saying: "Walliams's portrayal of a predatory paedophile is not funny. It's sickening and unacceptable. That sketch should not be repeated anywhere. It should be withdrawn from public viewing and filed in a film archive so that future historians have evidence of what passed for 'comedy' only 13 years ago."
The Mirror has approached the BBC and Comic Relief for comment.
