Britain’s Got Talent issues response after David Walliams accused of sexual misconduct
Warning: This article contains discussion of allegations of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
ITV and Britain's Got Talent have issued a fresh response after David Walliams was accused of sexual misconduct.
Walliams was named as the 'well-known celebrity' accused of sexually inappropriate behaviour and grooming in a Guardian and ITV News investigation.
His name was released in the media after a failed injunction to prevent the reporting of allegations against him.
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Walliams has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, and had told the Guardian and ITV News he was 'devastated' that his accusers 'expressed hurt or anger' towards him, insisting he hadn't broken the law.
He has yet to respond following the publication of his name on Tuesday (10 November).
According to the ITV News and Guardian investigation, a number of allegations of sexual misconduct date back to 2003. Several women accused Walliams of 'grooming' them when they were teenagers, according to the report.
One woman described her alleged encounter with Walliams, when she was 15, as a 'sexual assault'.
Walliams has denied the allegations made against him and his lawyers told The Guardian he 'never engaged in grooming young women', denies any sexual contact with the 15-year-old mentioned in the investigation, and that 'allegations of serious criminal conduct are false'.
Britain's Got Talent issues statement
BGT producer Fremantle has since issued a new statement, outlining that no complaints were made regarding his behaviour during his time on the show.
However anyone who feels they were the 'subject of impropriety and wrongdoing' have been urged to come forward.
A spokesperson for Fremantle UK told LADbible: “We are disturbed and concerned at these serious allegations.
"David Walliams has not been a judge on Britain’s Got Talent for more than four years. During his time on the show and in the intervening period, no complaint was ever made regarding his behaviour to Fremantle UK.
"If anyone feels they have been the subject of any impropriety or wrongdoing by anyone on any Fremantle or associated labels’ productions, we encourage them to come forward.
"We will treat any complaints seriously. Protecting the welfare of our employees, freelancers, contributors and fans has always been and absolutely remains paramount for the company.”
As Syco Entertainment added that they had 'no knowledge' of the allegations described and 'was not made aware of them at the time.'
Meanwhile ITV, the broadcaster for Britain's Got Talent, said it was 'sorry' to hear about the 'concerns that have been raised'.
The statement went on: "BGT is produced for ITV by Fremantle, an independent production company.
"Although ITV is the broadcaster of the programme, the producer has day to day responsibility for the running of the production, including all aspects of duty of care, and for ensuring compliance with all legal and regulatory obligations as well as ITV’s production and compliance guidelines."
Documentary to air
ITV have confirmed that a documentary, titled David Walliams: Power and Silence will air tonight at 10.50pm on ITV.
He said in a letter to the media: "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.
“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.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Topics: David Walliams, ITV, Britains Got Talent, Entertainment
James Holt