David Walliams: Power and Silence – ITV to air new documentary following three-year investigation

ITV is set to air a new documentary tonight examining allegations against comedian and former Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams, following a three-year joint investigation by ITV News and The Guardian. You can already watch the full documentary, below.

Titled David Walliams: Power and Silence, the documentary explores allegations dating back to 2003 that Walliams “preyed on teenage girls and young women for sexual purposes”.

The investigation features multiple women who have accused Walliams of “grooming” them when they were teenagers. One woman alleges that he began contacting her when she was 15, after meeting her at a Little Britain fan event, before starting a sexual relationship with her when she was 17.

Walliams is also accused of inappropriate conduct and sexual harassment during his time on Britain’s Got Talent and at publisher HarperCollins.

David Walliams denies all allegations.

David Walliams responds to allegations

Responding to the investigation, Walliams acknowledged that he had not always considered the feelings of people he had casual sexual relationships with.

He 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.”

Fremantle UK responds to investigation

Fremantle UK, the production company behind Britain’s Got Talent, also responded to the findings of the investigation by ITV News and The Guardian.

The company said: “David Walliams left Britain’s Got Talent four years ago. During his time on the show, and in the four years since, no complaint has ever been made – either to Fremantle UK, the broadcaster or regulator, and we are not aware of any complaints having been made to any other external authority – regarding his behaviour.

“Nevertheless, if anyone feels they have been the subject of any impropriety or wrongdoing by anyone, we encourage them to come forward. We will treat any complaints seriously and investigate thoroughly and to the best of our ability. This has long been our policy in terms of protecting employees, freelancers, contributors and fans and absolutely remains paramount in our thinking and actions as a responsible television production company.”

Syco Entertainment and ITV issue statements

Syco Entertainment, the company that created Britain’s Got Talent, said it had no prior knowledge of the allegations.

A spokesperson for the company said: “Syco Entertainment had no knowledge of the allegations described and was not made aware of them at the time.”

ITV, which broadcasts the talent competition, also issued a statement expressing concern about the allegations raised.

The broadcaster said: “We are very sorry to hear about the concerns that have been raised. BGT is produced for ITV by Fremantle, an independent production company. Although ITV is the broadcaster of the programme, the producer has day to day responsibility for the running of the production, including all aspects of duty of care, and for ensuring compliance with all legal and regulatory obligations as well as ITV’s production and compliance guidelines.”

When is David Walliams: Power and Silence on ITV?

David Walliams: Power and Silence airs tonight, Tuesday 10 November, at 10:50pm on ITV.

The documentary is also available to watch now on ITVX and below giving viewers the opportunity to watch the investigation online.

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