Graham Linehan has publicly criticised his involvement in the creation of Little Britain after the BBC withdrew the show from iPlayer amid allegations of sexual misconduct against David Walliams.
The Irish comedy writer, best known for creating Father Ted and The IT Crowd, directed the pilot episode of Little Britain, which premiered in 2003 and helped launch the careers of Walliams and his co-star Matt Lucas.
On X/Twitter, Linehan wrote: "My most embarrassing mistake was directing the pilot of 'Little Britain' and making Matt and David famous."
Allegations against Walliams
The former Britain's Got Talent star was the subject of a joint three-year investigation by The Guardian and ITV News into claims of grooming, sexual misconduct, and workplace harassment. Walliams has denied any criminal wrongdoing and grooming.
Two women, using the pseudonyms Alex and Jade, allege the Little Britain actor initiated contact with them when they were 15 years old. Alex claimed that he called her at home in 2004 after meeting her at a fan event, eventually leading to a sexual relationship when she was 17. Jade claimed that in 2007, after messaging her on MySpace, he invited her to his London home, where he kissed her and committed an act she describes as sexual assault.
Linehan's changing view
In 2009, before any controversy, Linehan championed the BBC sketch show, praising it as "so inventive and changed the game" and saying that Matt and Dave were "too funny to be kept a secret".
The pilot episode introduced some of the fan-favourite characters, including Matt as Vicky Pollard, who got into trouble at school, as it presented a satirical view of Britain.
BBC removes Little Britain
As a result of the allegations, the BBC confirmed on Tuesday (November 10) the complete removal of Little Britain and other shows from iPlayer as it reviews all content featuring David Walliams.
A BBC spokeswoman 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."
In his response to the claims, Walliams stated: "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."
He added: "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."
