Sky scraps UK release of David Walliams film Fing!
Sky have scrapped plans to release Fing! in the UK following the allegations against David Walliams, who co-wrote and co-stars in the film.
Sky have scrapped plans to release Fing! in the UK following the allegations against David Walliams.
On Tuesday (10.11.26), the 55-year-old comic 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, and now the network has confirmed it is distancing itself from the project, which was co-written by Walliams and Kevin Cecil and in which he also stars alongside Taika Waititi and Mia Wasikowska.
A spokesperson for Sky - who had planned to release the film early next year - told Variety: “The allegations made against David Walliams are extremely serious. We have notified the producers of the film of our intention to exit our position as the UK Ireland licensee of Fing!"
The representative added that Sky had also “already removed content which features [Walliams] from our platforms.”
The news comes after the former Britain's Got Talent judge was dropped by his agency, Independent Talent Group, and the BBC confirmed it was 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.
A 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 could then be named. The allegations were subsequently published by ITV News and The Guardian.
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."
