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David Walliams leaked to oust BGT judge
BGT production team allegedly leaked David Walliams' explicit comments to force his exit from the show.
In brief
BGT production team allegedly leaked David Walliams' explicit comments to force his exit from the show. David Walliams' BGT judging role ended after recordings of sexually explicit comments about contestants were leaked by production team. Originally reported by Dailymail.
David Walliams' BGT exit
David Walliams stepped down from BGT judging in November 2022 after recordings of sexually explicit comments about contestants were leaked.
“David Walliams stepped down from his role as a judge on BGT after recordings of derogatory and sexually explicit comments he made about contestants were obtained and published by The Guardian”
Leaked comments details
Walliams called one elderly contestant a 'c***' three times and described a woman as 'like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f*** them, but you don't'.
“the star call one elderly contestant a 'c***' three times when the man left the stage”
Marina Hyde's claim
Journalist Marina Hyde claims BGT 'operatives' deliberately leaked the recordings to get rid of Walliams.
“Operatives, I don't know who and I don't know at what level... who leaked those comments? They were trying to get rid, someone at some level in Britain's Got Talent was trying to get rid of him”
Legal action
Walliams sued BGT producers Fremantle for misuse of private information and breaching data protection laws.
“the former Little Britain star is said to have claimed in court documents that producers recorded transcribed and retained all his conversations during his decade-long stint”
Walliams' claims
Walliams alleged 1,700 hours of audio recordings were collected and he experienced severe depression and active suicidal thoughts after being sacked.
“he had battled severe depression since the sacking and had experienced active suicidal thoughts”
Amicable resolution
An amicable resolution was reached with Fremantle apologizing for the recording being made public.
“an amicable resolution was reached with the production company apologising for the recording being made public”
Richard Osman's recollection
Richard Osman recalled working with Walliams early in his career and admitted he wishes he had created a safer environment for everyone.
“I think it's hard for any man who worked in television in the 1990s and the 2000s to not feel like they failed to not feel blind to not feel some sense of shame about what has happened”
Allegations timeline
Allegations of inappropriate behavior date back to 2003 with some accusers as young as 15.
“a three-year joint investigation by ITV News and The Guardian revealed a series of allegations dating back to 2003”
Zara's warning letter
Zara received a threatening letter from Walliams' lawyers after trying to warn others about his behavior.
“We act for David Walliams. Let us be absolutely clear: you are at a significant risk of committing a serious civil offence should you disclose private information concerning our client”
Walliams' denial
Walliams denies all allegations of inappropriate behavior and claims he never groomed young women.
“he has never engaged in the grooming of young women”
Culture Secretary's response
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy vowed to 'draw a line in the sand' to end abuse and harassment in the industry.
“a decade and a half on from the revelations about Jimmy Savile, and ten years on from the MeToo movement, we must finally take meaningful steps to end abuse and harassment”
No10's statement
No10 called the Walliams allegations 'deeply troubling' and said there was a pattern of behavior that needs changing.
“No10 called the Walliams allegations deeply troubling”
Allegations against Walliams
Multiple women accused Walliams of grooming and sexual assault when they were teenagers.
“one woman described her alleged encounter with Walliams when she was 15 as a sexual assault”
Walliams' legal defense
Walliams claimed he recognized he 'behaved thoughtlessly' but denied breaking the law.
“he recognised he behaved thoughtlessly at times and regretted not taking people's feelings properly into account”
Walliams' response
Walliams has not yet responded to reports naming him as subject of allegations.
“Walliams has not yet responded to Tuesday's reports that have named him as the subject of the allegations”
BGT's stance
Fremantle UK said they are 'disturbed and concerned' about the serious allegations but no complaint was made to them.
“a spokesman for Fremantle UK, which makes BGT, said the company is disturbed and concerned at the serious allegations”
The key point
David Walliams' BGT judging role ended after recordings of sexually explicit comments about contestants were leaked by production team.
