David Walliams was allegedly mentioned repeatedly in a WhatsApp group where female comedians shared warnings about male colleagues they believed should be avoided. Schools were also reportedly advised that he was “not an appropriate booking”, it was claimed today.
Comedian Kate Smurthwaite said the group was created to allow women working in comedy to discuss concerns about men they might encounter on tours, backstage or in television studios.
Walliams, the 55-year-old children’s author and television personality, has denied allegations that he groomed schoolgirls, sexually assaulted a 15-year-old and repeatedly solicited teenagers for sex. He insists he is “not a sexual predator”.
Ms Smurthwaite said Walliams’s name “came up over and over again”, although he was not the only comedian described in the group as “creepy as f***”.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight, she said: “Walliams is a name that came up over and over and over again. In particular, there was a sense of concern about him working with young people and new acts, people coming onto the circuit who maybe weren’t as wise and experienced as the rest of us.
“It’s a name that’s been there from the get-go.
“People were saying they knew individuals who had worked with him and either felt very uncomfortable and left, or stayed and felt his behaviour was inappropriate.”
In one exchange, a comedian was described as “beyond rude, shambolic and largely audience-free”. Other members replied: “He is creepy as f***” and “So creepy, avoid him if you can.”
Another message said: “Yeah, I shared a car with him a couple of months ago. He’s awful. I’ve warned promoters about him since then, but I keep seeing he still gets booked.”
Alex, then 15, meets Walliams at a Little Britain fan event. Walliams was dressed as his character Lou. One author said she had been warned that he was not considered an appropriate booking for schools
WhatsApp messages from a group in which female comedians shared warnings about male colleagues described as “creepy”
Author Chloe Combi said concerns about Walliams’s conduct had circulated in publishing circles more than a decade ago. She said she had personally been advised to avoid working with him.
Ms Combi said: “We were talking about the scheme and possible writers who might be good for the project and work well with teenagers.
British stand-up comedian Kate Smurthwaite says David Walliams was repeatedly named in a WhatsApp group where female comics warned each other about men to avoid
“She gave me some great recommendations and said: ‘Whatever you do, don’t invite David Walliams. And if you’re speaking to head teachers or teachers, please inform them that he’s not a good booking and not an appropriate booking for a school.’
“I obviously asked why and, to be honest, I had already heard quite a lot of rumours because those worlds are quite small and contained.
“One of the things she said was that there had been real concerns about his behaviour around young female staff.”
The allegations involving Walliams and Russell Brand have prompted calls for tougher rules requiring television companies to protect young women from predatory entertainers.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is due to meet broadcasters and entertainment executives next week after claims that alleged misconduct by Walliams, like allegations involving Brand, was an “open secret” within the industry.
Both men are said to have wielded considerable influence and generated substantial revenues for broadcasters, factors critics say allowed their alleged behaviour to go unchallenged.
Ms Nandy has promised to “draw a line in the sand” during the meeting and warned that legislation could follow if the industry fails to improve its safeguarding practices.
She said: “A decade and a half on from the revelations about Jimmy Savile, and ten years on from the MeToo movement, we must finally take meaningful steps to end abuse and harassment.”
Downing Street described the allegations concerning Walliams as “deeply troubling” and said there was “a pattern of behaviour that needs to change”.
The former Britain’s Got Talent judge allegedly used his celebrity status to invite young women to his dressing room and to his £3.5million home in north London.
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Russell Brand and David Walliams pictured together at the British Comedy Awards in London in December 2006
Several teenagers and young women made allegations of sexual misconduct during an investigation by The Guardian and ITV News. Walliams reportedly threatened to take his own life if the allegations were published, but was unsuccessful in obtaining an injunction to prevent the press from identifying him.
Walliams is understood to be receiving treatment in a psychiatric hospital, days after Brand was sentenced to more than ten years in prison for rape.
Chatshow presenter Jonathan Ross, who knew both men, apologised for a distasteful joke made at the 2004 Comedy Awards suggesting that a 15-year-old was “probably going home” with Walliams.
Ross said he was “horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand”. He said he had previously been friends with both men but added: “During that period I was genuinely unaware of their conduct.”
A 2003 photograph shows Ross alongside Walliams and one of the women who later accused the comedian. Lilly Creightmore was 18 when Walliams invited her to stay at his house.
She told Newsnight: “One night I think he put his head in my lap and sort of said, ‘Are you sure you don’t want to come and sleep in my bed with me?’ I had an inner strength, like, ‘No’.”
Comedian Lucy Beaumont, who provided information for the investigation, said a young television worker told her that his role involved taking young girls to Walliams’s dressing room.
She said the girls were over 16, but were “working-class girls and some had never been to London before”.
“I was worried these girls were young,” she said. “I tried to contact some of them to ask if they were all right.”
Chatshow host Jonathan Ross, pictured on Wednesday, apologised for a tasteless joke made at the 2004 Comedy Awards about a 15-year-old “probably going home” with Walliams
One of the women was “in a really bad way”, Ms Beaumont said, and lawyers acting for Walliams allegedly asked her to sign a non-disclosure agreement to keep the matter confidential.
Ms Beaumont said the agreement, which she described as relating to someone who had been groomed as a child, prevented the woman from discussing the matter with her family or a therapist.
Hi, I’m Alex Matthews, Editor of The Crime Desk.
Russell Brand has been found guilty of rape and three sexual assaults, while our reporters Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull attended every day of the trial. They later spoke with Detective Inspector Laura Nelson, who explained why the women who accused Brand in the documentary were not involved in his rape trial.
Television agent Dermot McNamara said he had raised concerns with “authorities and broadcasters” after a 16-year-old client was taken backstage at Britain’s Got Talent and later invited to Walliams’s home, where she allegedly experienced “inappropriate behaviour”.
He said he reported the alleged incident, which took place about ten years ago, but no action followed.
Lou Teasdale, a former Britain’s Got Talent make-up artist, claimed it was “standard protocol” for young women to sign non-disclosure agreements and surrender their phones before being left alone with famous men.
HarperCollins, which has sold more than 60 million copies of Walliams’s books, dropped him a year ago following allegations that he harassed young female employees. Walliams denies those claims.
Walliams has rejected all the allegations. His lawyers said he had never groomed young women or had sexual relationships with underage girls.
ITV said Fremantle, the production company behind Britain’s Got Talent, had confirmed that “no complaint has ever been made to them about David Walliams”. The broadcaster added: “We are completely committed at ITV to creating an environment where everyone is treated with respect.”
Equalities minister Bridget Phillipson said the Government should impose tighter restrictions on non-disclosure agreements and consider banning their use in some circumstances.