David Walliams has been named as the celebrity who lost a High Court bid to prevent the publication and broadcast of allegations against him.
The comedian and author had sought an injunction against Guardian News and Media (GNM), publisher of The Guardian, and Independent Television News (ITN), which produces news programmes for ITV and other broadcasters.
Walliams, who denies the allegations, argued that publication could put his life at risk, citing two previous suicide attempts. He sought to prevent the organisations from reporting the claims on those grounds.
In a ruling last Tuesday, Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed Walliams’s application for an injunction. The judge had previously indicated that Walliams could be named, subject to any appeal.
However, Walliams missed the deadline on Monday to take his case to the Court of Appeal, paving the way for his identity to be made public.
In a summary of his judgment, Mr Justice Nicklin said: “The claimant’s claim for an injunction was dismissed.
“The court did not determine whether the allegations, or any of them, were true, and the dismissal of the claim does not amount to approval of any publication the defendants may decide to make.”
Walliams, 54, is one of Britain’s best-known entertainers, having first risen to prominence alongside Matt Lucas in the BBC comedy series Little Britain. The programme became a major television success and established the pair as household names.
He subsequently appeared in several television and film projects, including Come Fly With Me, before becoming a judge on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, a role he held from 2012 until 2022.
Alongside his television career, Walliams has enjoyed considerable success as a children’s author. His books include The Boy in the Dress, Gangsta Granny and Mr Stink, with several adapted for television. They remain on BBC iPlayer.
The High Court’s decision concerned Walliams’s application to prevent publication. It did not establish the truth or otherwise of the allegations, and the judge made clear that dismissing the injunction application should not be interpreted as endorsing any subsequent reporting by the defendants.
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