The BBC has confirmed it is removing programmes featuring David Walliams from its online platforms after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. The author and former Britain's Got Talent judge has been accused of abusing his power to groom teenagers as young as 15.
The allegations emerged as Walliams was named in an investigation by the Guardian and ITV News. The BBC has released a statement confirming that some programmes are being removed while a review is under way.
BBC statement on Walliams allegations
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 under way."
Walliams was named after he tried to obtain an injunction to prevent the reporting of allegations against him. He has denied all allegations of wrongdoing, including criminal activity.
Walliams denies allegations
Walliams says claims that he targeted teenage women and used his celebrity status to manipulate them to have sex with him are false. He says he has never engaged in the grooming of young women and rejects allegations that he behaved inappropriately or sexually harassed anyone in the workplace.
In a statement to the Guardian and ITV News, Walliams said: "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."
He added: "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… I am devastated that some of the women I met ten to twenty years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me."
Allegations from women
Several sources alleged inappropriate behaviour towards women at Britain's Got Talent, where Walliams served as a judge between 2012 and 2022, and at his publisher HarperCollins.
One woman, named by ITV News and the Guardian as Jade, said she was 15 and Walliams was 36 when they met in August 2007 and he invited her to his house. She claimed what happened to her there was "sexual assault" and "grooming", adding: "It's completely wrong in every way." Walliams strongly denied to the publications that he had any sexual contact with Jade, adding that he rejects any allegations of criminal activity and has never engaged in the grooming of young women.
Another woman, named as Alex, alleged she was having sex with Walliams by the time she was 17. Asked how she feels about him now, she said: "I think I was groomed. 100%." Walliams told the publications he believed she was 18 at the time they had sex. His lawyers say the suggestion he groomed Alex is false and has caused him significant distress.
Walliams also had his Labour Party membership suspended on Tuesday after the accusations emerged, with Downing Street describing the allegations as "deeply troubling".
