The BBC has confirmed it is removing some content featuring David Walliams from its platforms after the comedian was accused of preying on girls as young as 15 years old. The move follows an investigation by ITN and the Guardian into allegations of "inappropriate sexual activities" and sexual misconduct involving the 55-year-old.
Injunction denied and review underway
Walliams had asked the High Court in London to permanently prevent the publishers from revealing his identity and the allegations, but his injunction was denied last week. In light of the allegations, the BBC has confirmed it will be removing content related to Walliams, including the sitcom Little Britain.
A BBC spokesperson said: "These are serious allegations. As such, the BBC is looking carefully at all material featuring and written by David Walliams on our platforms. We are in the process of removing some programmes, including Little Britain, whilst this review is underway."
Little Britain and children's films pulled
Little Britain, which featured Walliams alongside Matt Lucas, was popular in the noughties with the pair performing skits as a variety of duos. The series was removed from BBC iPlayer back in 2020 due to some episodes being criticised over the use of blackface. An edited version of the sketch show was released on the streaming service in 2022, with many characters removed from the episodes.
At the time of writing, Little Britain is no longer available on BBC iPlayer. Additionally, many of Walliams's children's comedy films have also been removed from the platform as the review continues. Based on a number of his children's books, titles include The Midnight Gang, Gangsta Granny, Billionaire Boy and Mr Stink, with Walliams starring in each of the shows.
Publisher and production firm respond
These books were published by HarperCollins, which dropped the star last December following claims of inappropriate behaviour with women. A spokesperson said at the time: "After careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams. HarperCollins takes employee wellbeing extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns. To respect the privacy of individuals we do not comment on internal matters."
Britain's Got Talent production firm, Fremantle UK, has also shared that it was "disturbed and concerned" by the allegations surrounding Walliams, who was a judge on the show for 10 series. A spokesperson told the BBC that "during his time on the show and in the intervening period, no complaint was ever made regarding his behaviour to Fremantle UK". The company is urging anyone who feels they have been subject to wrongdoing or impropriety by anyone at Fremantle or its associated labels to come forward.
