A 2004 British Comedy Awards joke about David Walliams has resurfaced following allegations of sexual misconduct, prompting questions about whether the entertainment industry ignored or enabled the comedian's behaviour.
The joke, delivered by host Jonathan Ross, was one of several public references to Walliams' reputation made over more than 20 years. The Guardian and ITV News published allegations by several women that Walliams used his power and celebrity status to prey on young women and teenagers for sex. Walliams, 55, denies any wrongdoing.
2004 Awards Joke Under Scrutiny
At the 2004 British Comedy Awards, Ross noted the event was 15 years old. "And like all 15-year-olds, it's drunk, it's unpredictable and it's probably going home with David Walliams," he said, with the camera panning to Walliams.
Ross has said it is now "deeply shocking" to revisit the footage, adding that the joke was submitted to him by the event's scriptwriting team. He believed the punchline referenced Walliams' public dating of younger women, "exaggerated for comic effect".
TV insiders noted the joke would have been seen by several people involved in the production before it reached Ross. One insider said it appeared to be a "degree of enabling" inside the industry.
Other References in Media
In 2004, on Scott Mills' BBC Radio 1 show, Walliams was asked about his "womaniser" image. He replied: "What – I'm some sort of rabid animal? No, I'm a gentleman. But no, I just … I love the company of women, you see?"
Five years later, Alan Carr on Channel 4's Chatty Man observed Walliams was "a bit like an illegal taxi driver: you lure [women] into a false sense of security and then you pounce". In 2006, Jimmy Carr said at a Britain's Next Top Model launch: "I'm only here really to meet David Walliams' next conquest … Is that the prize, to get a go on David Walliams?"
In 2021, a character in the BBC's Motherland stated: "I'd like to be a dad and a children's author – a bit like David Walliams, but less sinister."
Industry Response and Concerns
Lawyers for Walliams said he had made no secret of enjoying the company of women during a period of his life, and that jokes about this were "not statements of fact". They noted many jokes were written or delivered by Walliams' good friends.
TV insiders said the references did not suggest awareness of specific incidents, but one said it suggested a degree of awareness about his reputation "is there, in plain sight of everyone".
Comedian Lucy Beaumont said a young TV worker told her he was asked to take young women to Walliams' dressing room. Beaumont, who did not witness worrying behaviour herself, said she fears speaking out would affect her TV career because people "lose work" for doing so. "My only point is to try and change things, because this has been on my mind for years and years," she told Sky News.
