A 2015 clip of David Walliams attempting to break a Guinness World Record for receiving the most kisses in 30 seconds has gone viral following allegations of misconduct against the comedian, which he denies.
Walliams, 55, appeared on BBC One's 2015 Comic Relief telethon, sitting in a chair as women and men queued up on either side to kiss him on the cheeks. Wearing red boots, a sleeveless sports top and shorts, he grimaced as Davina McCall held his head in place. He broke the record by receiving 55 kisses in 30 seconds, with Orlando Bloom ending the challenge by kissing him on the lips.
Social media reaction to the resurfaced clip
The clip has resurfaced after Walliams was accused of allegedly using his celebrity status to prey on vulnerable teenagers and young women for sex, which he vehemently denies. Social media users on X have reacted negatively, with one writing: "What the heck?" Another commented: "First time seeing this, so in 2015 everybody involved and watching this didn't have an issue with it?"
A third user wrote: "How does s*** like this end up on TV?" As of writing, the clip remains available on the BBC's official YouTube page, posted 11 years ago.
Legal action and allegations
Walliams was named for the first time as the celebrity who tried to stop two media organisations from publishing allegations against him. 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, sought an injunction to prevent broadcast and publication due to a risk that he would take his own life, following two previous suicide attempts. An investigation by ITV News and the Guardian claims he abused his power and position for sexual purposes on multiple occasions with teenagers and other women.
Jonathan Ross's response
Jonathan Ross, 65, said he was "horrified" over the allegations as well as Russell Brand's rape conviction. Ross said: "I am as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation. There was a time in my life when I was on friendly terms with both men, and during that period I was genuinely unaware of their conduct. My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward."
Another clip that has gone viral is Ross's joke at a 2004 awards show, in which he quipped: "The comedy awards is 15 years old - 15 years old! And like most 15 year olds, it's drunk, it's unpredictable and it's probably going home with David Walliams." Ross claimed he did not write the joke himself, saying: "I recognise how deeply shocking it is to revisit footage of a joke delivered by me at the Comedy Awards in 2004, in which I make light of the notion of Walliams going home with a 15 year old. This joke was submitted to me by the Comedy Awards script writing team and I believed that the punchline was a reference to the fact he had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect. It is also a tasteless joke that I would not dream of making today about anyone, but that is beside the point. Had I had any reason to suspect that it might be referring to actual events, I would not only have refused to use it, but I would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with him."
In response to the allegations, Walliams denies any wrongdoing and said he is 'devastated' by the claims. In a letter to journalists, he wrote: "Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with. I realise I did not always take people's feelings properly into account. That is something I regret. And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did. I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law, but I am devastated that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me."
