BBC promotes David Walliams episode of Who Do You Think You Are despite allegations

The BBC is still directing viewers towards an older episode featuring David Walliams, despite the comedian facing professional fallout following reports about allegations concerning his conduct.

The BBC is continuing to make an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? featuring David Walliams available to viewers, despite the actor, comedian and children’s author having been dropped by his television agent and publisher.

Viewers looking for tonight’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, featuring Ruth Jones, are also presented with the option to watch a previous instalment featuring Walliams, originally broadcast in 2022.

BBC

The listing comes amid the ongoing fallout from allegations released in December 2025, when The Daily Telegraph reported that Walliams had been the subject of an internal investigation the previous year concerning his alleged behaviour towards junior female employees at publisher HarperCollins.

The newspaper reported allegations of harassment involving young female staff, including a claim that one employee received a “five-figure payoff” after raising concerns. Former HarperCollins employees were also reported to have alleged that staff were instructed to work with Walliams in “pairs” and advised against visiting his home.

The allegations have had significant professional consequences for Walliams, although he has strenuously denied wrongdoing.

BBC says it has no future projects involving Walliams

Following the reports, the BBC confirmed that it would not pursue new projects directly involving Walliams, while indicating that existing programmes would not automatically be removed from its schedules.

A BBC spokesperson said in December 2025: “While we’re not making any changes to the festive schedules, we have no future projects directly involving David Walliams.”

The broadcaster’s position means that older programmes featuring Walliams may remain available even as it rules out future projects with him. His previous television work includes adaptations of his children’s books, such as Gangsta Granny and Billionaire Boy.

The continued promotion of his Who Do You Think You Are? episode highlights the distinction between the BBC’s decision not to commission new projects directly involving Walliams and its treatment of existing archive programming.

HarperCollins drops David Walliams’ children’s books

The publishing fallout has also extended beyond new releases.

HarperCollins announced in December 2025 that it would no longer publish new titles by Walliams. In September 2026, reports emerged that the publisher was also dropping his existing children’s book back catalogue, with physical stock, e-books and audiobooks being phased out.

The decision affects a substantial body of work. Walliams has written more than 40 books, and his children’s titles have sold millions of copies internationally. His best-known works include The Boy in the Dress, Billionaire Boy and Gangsta Granny.

HarperCollins said it takes employee wellbeing seriously but declined to discuss internal matters. Walliams’ spokesperson said he had not been informed of the allegations or given an opportunity to respond to an investigation, and that he strongly denied behaving inappropriately. The BBC reported those statements when the publisher’s decision was announced in December 2025.

Previous controversy surrounding Britain’s Got Talent

Walliams’ departure from Britain’s Got Talent in 2022 followed the publication of a transcript containing offensive remarks he made about contestants during filming breaks.

He apologised for the comments, describing them as disrespectful. He subsequently brought legal proceedings against production company Fremantle over the leak of his private conversations.

In November 2023, the parties reached an “amicable resolution”, with Fremantle apologising for the publication of the remarks and the distress caused to Walliams. The settlement concerned the dispute over the leaked conversations and was separate from the allegations subsequently reported in connection with HarperCollins.

Walliams has strenuously denied wrongdoing in relation to the allegations about his conduct towards publisher employees.

The BBC’s continued promotion of his older Who Do You Think You Are? episode comes against this wider background, while the broadcaster maintains that it has no future projects directly involving him.

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