Broadcasters allegedly failed to act on warnings about claims that David Walliams groomed teenage girls, allowing the comedian to remain a prominent television figure for years, it has been claimed.
Television agent Dermot McNamara said he reported allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” involving the actor to both authorities and broadcasters at the time.
However, he said he was unaware of any meaningful action being taken. Walliams continued appearing on television for “many, many years” and remained able to work with other young people, according to Mr McNamara.
Walliams, 55, was named in a media investigation yesterday after seeking an injunction to stop allegations about him from being published.
Mr McNamara previously represented a person who allegedly says they were groomed by the former Britain’s Got Talent judge, who has faced accusations of sexual misconduct and abusing his position of influence.
One woman has described an alleged encounter with Walliams when she was 15 as a “sexual assault”, while others have accused him of grooming them during their teenage years. The latest developments include:
- Comedian Lucy Beaumont saying she spoke to journalists about the allegations;
- Presenter Jonathan Ross describing the claims about Walliams as “horrifying”;
- Former model Lilly Creightmore saying she is “angry” over what she alleges was Walliams’s behaviour towards her;
- Walliams rejecting the allegations and insisting he is not a “sexual predator”.
Speaking to the BBC’s Newsnight, Mr McNamara said his former client first met Walliams when she was 16. He claimed Walliams had followed her on social media before inviting her to Britain’s Got Talent recordings, where he introduced her to judges Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon.
“There were photos, and she was invited backstage with a group of friends of a similar age,” he said. “They were still very young-looking.”
Lucy Beaumont discussed her response to the allegations involving Walliams while appearing on Sky News’ The Cathy Newman Show yesterday, saying she “wants to protect young women”
David Walliams is accused of sexual misconduct. He is pictured in London in December 2025
He alleged that she was later invited, along with another girl, to Walliams’s home, where “inappropriate behaviour happened – or, she feels inappropriate behaviour happened”.
Mr McNamara said the experience had seriously affected her mental health and wellbeing. He described it as distressing for her to see Walliams continuing to receive television work, take part in public life, raise money for charity and have access to schools and children through his books.
“The enablement around it all, and how frightened people were to say anything, was real and true,” he said. “I know that was a terrifying period for her and for many of the girls and women involved.”
Presenter Victoria Derbyshire asked whether he had reported the allegations.
“I reported it to authorities and broadcasters,” Mr McNamara replied.
Asked whether anything happened as a result, he said: “Not that I’m aware of, no. He was still on television for many, many years and, from the sound of it, was still allowed to be involved with other young people.”
Walliams denies all wrongdoing.
In a letter understood to have been sent months ago to journalists at ITV News and the Guardian investigating the claims, Walliams rejected the description of him as a “sexual predator”.
He acknowledged that he had behaved “thoughtlessly” at times and said he regretted failing to take other people’s feelings “properly into account”, but maintained that he had not broken the law.
The letter said: “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.”
Comedian Lucy Beaumont has meanwhile called for stronger safeguarding procedures across television, saying she was among those who spoke to the Guardian about allegations concerning Walliams.
The 43-year-old said she became concerned after being told that Walliams had been hosting teenage girls in his dressing room while working on a programme. She said she was worried about whether his conduct had been inappropriate.
TV agent Dermot McNamara told the BBC’s Newsnight that he had reported allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” against Walliams to the authorities and broadcasters at the time
Appearing on Sky News’ The Cathy Newman Show, Beaumont said she had spoken out because she “wants to protect young women” working in television.
“I don’t know Walliams and I haven’t worked with him,” she said. “But, bizarrely, it’s been a very strange day for me because about three years ago a young person – on their first television job – worked on a programme he was involved with. Their next show was one I was working on.”
She said the person took her aside and confided: “I need to tell somebody something.” The individual, she added, was worried about “some of Walliams’s conduct”.
According to Beaumont, the young worker said they had been expected to take girls who were “definitely” over 16 to Walliams’s dressing room because they appeared vulnerable.
“At the time, they didn’t think there was a process or a way to tell anyone within the television company what was happening,” she said. “I was really worried.”
The Hull-born comedian said she had done what she could privately whenever she heard concerns about anyone, but added: “I’m not the police. Nothing seems to be illegal.”
She continued: “I was really worried, and I was one of the whistleblowers – one of the people who alerted The Guardian.”
Discussing safeguarding in the television industry, Beaumont said: “There’s no proper duty of care. There’s no social services that you deal with, partly because the industry is very well-managed.”
She said concerns could “slip through the net” because there had not previously been a clear process for raising them, although she believed that would now change.
Beaumont stressed that she had never worked with Walliams or personally witnessed inappropriate behaviour, but said she was troubled by the young age of the girls described to her.
She also said she contacted an alleged victim who was “in a really bad way” and expressed concern for her welfare, but that the woman declined her offer of support.
Lilly Creightmore told the BBC’s Newsnight that she is “angry” at David Walliams’s behaviour
Beaumont said she could not establish whether the allegations were true, but wanted to offer help.
She said speaking publicly could damage a person’s career because high-profile figures risk being labelled difficult or troublesome.
“There needs to be some intervention,” she said.
Beaumont began performing comedy in 2009 and has frequently criticised misogyny, sexism and inappropriate behaviour by men in the British comedy industry, as well as discussing the effect such conduct has had on her career.
She has previously spoken about “predatory” behaviour by men in the industry and the failure to believe women who raise concerns.
Walliams had not responded to the reports naming him as the subject of the allegations at the time of publication.
The reports followed Walliams’s unsuccessful attempt to obtain an injunction blocking publication. His lawyers argued there was a risk he could take his own life, citing two previous suicide attempts.
CHECK THIS OUT: WATCH: IDF Forces in Disguise Raid Hospital and Kill Hamas Leader, Pro-Hamas Libs Freak Out – NewsFinale
Mr Justice Nicklin rejected the injunction, ruling that granting it would represent an “exceptionally serious interference” with freedom of expression.
The Metropolitan Police said it had contacted the Guardian and ITV News to ensure potential victims knew how to report any criminal allegations to officers after the claims of sexual misconduct emerged.
Several sources have alleged inappropriate behaviour towards women at Britain’s Got Talent, where Walliams was a judge between 2012 and 2022, and at publisher HarperCollins, which ended its relationship with him last year.
A HarperCollins UK spokesperson said the company had “previously terminated its publishing relationship” with Walliams and added: “We take the safety of our people incredibly seriously.”
Walliams was also dropped by his literary agency, Independent Talent Group, after the allegations were published. The BBC began removing some of his programmes, including Little Britain, from iPlayer.
His Labour Party membership was suspended, while Downing Street described the allegations as “deeply troubling”.
Television presenter Jonathan Ross said he was “horrified” by the allegations involving Walliams and by the crimes of Russell Brand, adding that he had been “genuinely unaware” of their conduct.
The 65-year-old made the statement after old footage resurfaced showing him joking about Walliams and 15-year-olds at the 2004 British Comedy Awards.
Ross said: “I am as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation.
“There was a time in my life when I was friendly with both men, and during that period I was genuinely unaware of their conduct.
“My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward.”
The Jonathan Ross Show host has faced questions over his past association with Brand, who was jailed on Monday for ten-and-a-half years after being convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.
Ross appeared alongside Brand on several television programmes and featured on Brand’s BBC Radio 2 show in 2008, when the pair became involved in a scandal surrounding Georgina Baillie.
Known as “Sachsgate”, the incident involved the pair leaving a voicemail for Baillie’s grandfather, actor Andrew Sachs, containing explicit remarks about Brand’s relationship with her.
Ross also addressed the resurfaced joke about Walliams, saying: “I recognise how deeply shocking it is to see footage of a joke I delivered at the 2004 Comedy Awards, in which I made light of the idea of Walliams going home with a 15-year-old.
“The joke was supplied by the awards’ scriptwriting team. I believed the punchline referred to the fact that he had publicly dated younger women and had been exaggerated for comic effect.
“It was a tasteless joke that I would not dream of making today about anyone, although that is beside the point.
“Had I suspected it referred to real events, I would not only have refused to deliver it, but would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with him.
“I would like to think I would have acted on such knowledge.”
The ITV News and Guardian investigation includes allegations from Jade, who says she experienced what she describes as “sexual assault” and grooming after meeting Walliams in 2007, when she was 15 and he was 36.
Alex has also accused Walliams of grooming her and alleges that they were having sex by the time she was 17.
Ella, a former model, claims Walliams attempted to kiss her when they were alone after she met him at a party in 2007. She was 19 and he was 36.
Another former model who alleges that Walliams groomed her as a teenager has said she is angry over what she describes as pressure to share a bed with him.
Lilly Creightmore said she met Walliams when she was 18.
She has described having a difficult home life and staying at his flat, where she slept on the sofa. Walliams, then 32, allegedly asked her to sleep in his bed each night.
Ms Creightmore said that about a month after they met, the rising comedian told her she could move in and become his flatmate.
Speaking to Newsnight, she said: “I felt immediately pressured to share a bed with him. In the evenings, he would come and sit beside me and stroke my leg.”
(From left) David Walliams, Anthony McPartlin, Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Declan Donnelly at a Britain’s Got Talent photocall in London in January 2017. No allegations of wrongdoing have been made against any BGT stars other than Walliams
“One night, I think he put his head in my lap and said something like, ‘Are you sure you don’t want to come and sleep in my bed with me?’ I had an inner strength that said, ‘No, I’m not attracted to you in that way.’ I felt manipulated.”
Ms Creightmore added: “I’m angry. I’m suppressing it well, but this culture of older men in positions of power needs to end.
“They abuse their positions and exploit young people – and people of any age, of course. There are still too many men in power behaving this way, and they need to go.”
Walliams’s lawyers said he regarded Ms Creightmore as a close friend and was mortified that she believed he had groomed her. He denies the allegation.
He also denies targeting her because she was young or vulnerable and insists he did not say or do anything inappropriate.
Ms Creightmore said Walliams first came to her attention in 2002, when she would see him around London.
She claimed he made a point of indicating that he had noticed her, often staring at her, which she found unusual.
According to the allegations reported by ITV News and the Guardian, Walliams had also seen her on Channel 4 reality series Model Behaviour when she was 16.
Ms Creightmore later attended a live recording of Little Britain with her mother while the first series was being made for Radio 4.
“Throughout the recording, he kept staring at me whenever he walked past,” she said. “It was very odd.”
She said that several months later she received a letter from Walliams at her mother’s address.
According to Ms Creightmore, Walliams had seen her at an Agent Provocateur lingerie event. The letter read: “When I saw you at the Little Britain recording, I was enraptured. Then when I saw you in Agent Provocateur, I wanted to speak to you so much, but among all the frilly knickers I couldn’t find the words.
“I’d love to take you out sometime. I know we’ve never spoken, but you seem lovely. David Walliams.”
Ms Creightmore said the letter left her confused and uncomfortable, although she was also surprised and slightly excited as a fan of comedy.
She agreed to dinner but told Walliams she was seeing someone and was not interested in a romantic relationship.
Over the following months, she said, Walliams invited her to events and appeared to try to impress her by introducing her to comedy colleagues she admired.
She alleged that he then suggested she move into his home as a flatmate.
David Walliams and Matt Lucas on stage during the Little Britain live stage show tour in 2005
Ms Creightmore, who was still 18, said: “When I arrived, he didn’t actually have a spare bed. I immediately felt pressured to share his bed, so I said I would sleep on the sofa.”
She said Walliams pressured her to have sex, but that she refused his requests.
“When he didn’t get what he wanted during the week or so I was there, he became moody, rude and cold,” she said.
“I no longer felt welcome or safe, so I went to stay on another friend’s floor.”
She added that, in light of other allegations she had heard over the years, her experience felt like “one piece of the puzzle” in a wider pattern of what she described as extremely inappropriate and predatory behaviour.
Walliams strongly denies every allegation, rejects claims of criminal conduct and says he has never groomed young women.
He also denies paying for a junior Britain’s Got Talent employee’s silence after a man identified as Mark claimed he entered Walliams’s dressing room and saw two “very young people” inside while the television star was wearing only a towel. Mark alleges Walliams gave him £300.
Fremantle UK, the producer of Britain’s Got Talent, said it was “disturbed and concerned” by the serious allegations, but said no complaint about Walliams’s behaviour had ever been made to the company.
Walliams was married to Dutch model Lara Stone – 12 years his junior – from 2010 until 2015
A former HarperCollins employee said normal procedures had been altered around Walliams and that young female staff were not sent alone to his home.
It has also been alleged that he had a sexual relationship with at least one junior employee and pursued another.
Walliams has sold more than 60 million children’s books worldwide.
His titles include The Boy in the Dress, Fing and Gangsta Granny. The latter was adapted into a BBC television special in 2013, followed by a sequel starring Sheridan Smith in 2022.
HarperCollins ended its publishing deal with Walliams in December 2025 after an investigation into allegations that he had harassed young women. Walliams denied those claims.
Earlier this month, Alton Towers permanently closed its World of David Walliams attraction, which featured rides based on characters from his books.
Walliams joined the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel in 2012 and left in 2022 after apologising for “disrespectful comments” about contestants made during filming breaks at the London Palladium in January 2020.
In 2023, Fremantle apologised and reached an “amicable resolution” with Walliams after the comments were leaked.
An ITV spokesperson said: “We are very sorry to hear about the concerns that have been raised. Britain’s Got Talent is produced for ITV by Fremantle, an independent production company.
“Although ITV broadcasts the programme, the producer is responsible for the day-to-day running of the production, including duty of care, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and ITV’s production and compliance guidelines.”
ITV added: “We expect the highest standards from every production company working with us and expect to be informed of any duty-of-care concerns when they come to the producer’s attention.”
A Fremantle UK spokesperson said: “We are disturbed and concerned by these serious allegations. David Walliams has not been a Britain’s Got Talent judge for more than four years.
“During his time on the show and since then, no complaint about his behaviour was made to Fremantle UK. Anyone who believes they experienced impropriety or wrongdoing on a Fremantle production or an associated label’s programme is encouraged to come forward.
“We will treat every complaint seriously. Protecting the welfare of employees, freelancers, contributors and fans has always been, and remains, paramount to the company.”
Syco Entertainment, which created Britain’s Got Talent, said: “Syco Entertainment had no knowledge of the allegations described and was not made aware of them at the time.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “These are serious allegations. The BBC is therefore carefully reviewing all material featuring or written by David Walliams on its platforms.
“Some programmes, including Little Britain, are being removed while that review takes place.”