BBC removing David Walliams shows from iPlayer amid sexual conduct allegations
The BBC is removing programmes featuring David Walliams, including Little Britain, from its platforms while it reviews material involving the comedian following allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct, which he denies.
The BBC has confirmed it is removing Little Britain and other shows featuring David Walliams in the wake of allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct made against the comedian.
On Tuesday (10.11.26), Walliams, 55, was revealed to be the celebrity behind an injunction to prevent the publication of allegations that he contacted teenage girls and young women for sexual purposes.
The High Court judge previously dismissed Walliams' bid to prevent the publication of the allegations, but granted him permission to appeal and temporarily kept his identity secret. However, the comedian-and-writer missed a 4.30pm deadline on Monday (09.11.26) to take the case to the Court of Appeal, meaning he can now be named.
A three-year joint investigation by ITV News and The Guardian has revealed a series of allegations dating back to 2003, with some accusers being as young as 15. Walliams denies all the allegations.
In a statement to The Guardian and ITV News, the comedian said: "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… I am devastated that some of the women I met ten to twenty years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me."
Following the accusations, the BBC has now released a statement announcing that it is currently in the process of removing programming and carrying out a review of "all material featuring and written by David Walliams on our platforms".
Following the publication of the allegations, a BBC spokesperson said: “These are serious allegations.
“As such, the BBC is looking carefully at all material featuring and written by David Walliams on our platforms.
“We are in the process of removing some programmes, including Little Britain, whilst this review is under way.”
As well as the comedy shows Little Britain and airport mockumentary Come Fly With Me, episodes of The Wheel and Would I Lie To You? featuring Walliams have been removed from BBC iPlayer, as has the 2011 episode of Doctor Who titled The God Complex, which starred Walliams as the cowardly moleman alien Gibbis.
Walliams and his comedy partner Matt Lucas were catapulted to fame by their hugely popular sketch show Little Britain, which first aired in 2003 and ran for three series until 2005, followed by a number of specials.
In recent years, the series has been criticised for racial stereotypes, blackface and other controversial humour. It was previously removed from streaming platforms including Netflix and BBC iPlayer in 2020, before returning to BBC iPlayer in 2022 with content warnings and some edits.
Characters including Desiree DeVere, Thai bride Ting Tong, Only Gay in the Village Dafydd Thomas and Emily Howard and Florence Rose were among those whose portrayals attracted criticism.
Walliams and Lucas, 52, apologised in 2020 for sketches in their comedy series that contained racial stereotypes, admitting their portrayal of certain characters had been "wrong".
Since 2023, Walliams and Lucas have been working on a new comedy series, which they have promised will be edgy and similar in style to their past television shows.
