BBC Pulls David Walliams Shows From iPlayer Amid Allegations

The BBC is taking down programmes featuring or written by comedian and author David Walliams from its iPlayer service while it reviews material involving him. Little Britain, the sketch show he co-created and starred in with Matt Lucas, is among the titles being removed. Episodes of the show and adaptations of Walliams’ children’s books were disappearing from the platform on November 10; an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? featuring him was also taken down.

The move followed allegations published by the Guardian and ITV News. Women described contact with Walliams when they were teenagers or young adults, including claims that he pursued them for sexual purposes. One woman said she met him at a Little Britain fan event when she was 15. Walliams denies the allegations.

The BBC said the claims were serious and that it was reviewing all material featuring or written by Walliams on its platforms. It said some programmes would be removed while that work continued.

Fremantle UK, the company behind Britain’s Got Talent, said it was concerned by the latest claims. It said no complaint about Walliams’ conduct had been made to the company during his time on the show or afterward, and encouraged anyone with concerns about wrongdoing on its productions to come forward. Walliams was a judge on the programme for 10 seasons; an offer for him to appear in its 2023 season was withdrawn after earlier allegations about remarks concerning performers.