David Walliams, the BAFTA-winning comedian and best-selling children's author, has been named as the previously unnamed British celebrity accused of sexual misconduct involving "a large number of girls and young women." The Guardian and ITV News released a joint three-year investigation Tuesday titled "David Walliams: Power and Silence" after a judge rejected his injunction bid to keep his identity secret.
Walliams is accused of preying on teenage girls and young women for sexual purposes. One woman, identified as Alex in the report, says Walliams contacted her when she was 15 and he was 32 after meeting her at a fan event for Little Britain. She claims they had sexual contact when she turned 17. Multiple women accuse him of grooming them as teenagers, and several sources describe inappropriate behavior toward women on Britain's Got Talent and at his former publisher, HarperCollins.
Walliams denied the allegations in a statement to the BBC. "I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law," he said, adding: "Looking back, I realize that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with."
The fallout has been swift. The BBC removed episodes of Little Britain from iPlayer. HarperCollins dropped him in 2025. His literary agent, Independent Talent Group, dropped him. The Labour Party suspended him. Merlin Entertainments permanently closed The World of David Walliams at Alton Towers theme park. TMZ reported Walliams was dropped from the film The Road to Nevermore.
Fremantle U.K., which produces Britain's Got Talent, said it is "disturbed and concerned" by the claims and said no complaint about Walliams' behavior was made to the company during his time on the show.