ITV is set to air a documentary about comedian and children's author David Walliams tonight (November 10).
It comes after it was announced today that Walliams was the previously unnamed celebrity who tried to block the publication of his identity amid allegations of "inappropriate sexual activities" with girls and young women.
Multiple women have accused David Walliams of sexually inappropriate behaviour and grooming, including when they were teenagers, according to an investigation by the Guardian and ITV News.
Walliams denies all allegations against him.
A joint investigation by ITV News and the Guardian alleges Walliams preyed on teenage girls and young women for sexual purposes.
Multiple women accuse Walliams of "grooming" them as teenagers, while another described her alleged encounter with Walliams as "sexual assault".
Walliams is also accused of inappropriate conduct and sexual harassment at his former publisher HarperCollins, and while working on Britain's Got Talent.
Responding to the ITV and Guardian investigation, Walliams denied all allegations against him.
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."
Walliams, 55, brought legal action against Independent Television News (ITN) and Guardian News and Media (GNM), publisher of The Guardian, ahead of the two organisations reporting allegations against him, including of sexual misconduct and potential criminal activity.
Lawyers for the media organisations previously told the High Court in London the allegations involved Walliams’ alleged “abuse of power and status” to contact young women and try to engage in “inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities”.
Walliams denied the claims and unsuccessfully sought an injunction to prevent these publications because of the risk he would take his own life, after two previous suicide attempts.
The author was granted anonymity during the proceedings, which was lifted after his injunction bid was dismissed and GNM and ITN published their investigations on Tuesday.
During a two-day trial in October, the court was told by the media organisations’ lawyers that the allegations were gathered after “a wide-ranging and rigorous investigation” and that there was a “strong” public interest in publishing them.
Gavin Millar KC said that reporters from the media organisations had spoken to more than 100 people, including more than 30 sources with first-hand accounts as well as Walliams’ friends and colleagues.
Walliams’ lawyers said that he had initially attempted suicide after receiving letters from ITN and GNM asking for his reply to the allegations, because of “long-term trauma and the fear of trial by media”.
Sara Mansoori KC, representing Walliams, told the court that any publication relating to him about these allegations “would have a potentially fatal impact”.
The barrister said: “The only reason they would not be fatal is because the claimant would be locked up and prevented from his desire to end his life.”
Judge Mr Justice Nicklin refused the bid for an injunction, ruling it would be an “exceptionally serious interference” with freedom of expression.
In the 52-page judgment he also said that granting the injunction would not treat the man’s psychiatric condition or eliminate his elevated risk.
He continued that hospitals and health staff caring for Walliams, who was detained under the Mental Health Act in October, meant that the state had “assumed responsibility” for his immediate safety and “can provide significant protection”, which “materially reduces the likelihood of suicide”.
The former Britain’s Got Talent judge, known for appearing in comedy shows including Come Fly With Me and Little Britain alongside Matt Lucas, has sold more than 60 million copies of his children’s books globally.
They include The Boy In The Dress, Fing, and Gangsta Granny, the latter of which was turned into a one-hour BBC special in 2013, followed by a sequel starring Sheridan Smith in 2022.
Walliams’ book publisher HarperCollins dropped him in December 2025, after an investigation into allegations he had “harassed” young women, which Walliams strongly denied.
Earlier this month, theme park Alton Towers permanently closed its World Of David Walliams attraction, which featured rides inspired by the books.
Walliams left Britain’s Got Talent in 2022 after he apologised for making “disrespectful comments” about auditioning contestants during filming breaks in January 2020 at the London Palladium.
In 2023, Britain’s Got Talent producer Fremantle apologised and reached an “amicable resolution” with Walliams after the remarks he made while on the show were leaked.
ITV to air David Walliams: Power and Silence documentary tonight
Tonight, a documentary titled David Walliams: Power and Silence will air from 10.50pm on ITV1.
It is already available to watch on the ITV News channel on YouTube and ITVX.
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