David Walliams sues BGT over leaked rant
David Walliams is suing Britain's Got Talent over a foul-mouth hot mic rant that was leaked.
The former BGT judge is seeking significant damages after show bosses stunned viewers with the announcement he had quit the show in November 2022 after 10 years on the judging panel.
The comedian abruptly left the show after a transcript of vile comments he made about contestants while his microphone was on during a filming break was made public.
In the leaked transcript he called an elderly gentleman a “c***” three times, and said of another contestant, “She thinks you want to f*** her, but you don’t”.
The vulgar remarks were made during an auditions round at the London Palladium in January 2020, and were then leaked to the media.
After the transcript was made public, Walliams issued a grovelling apology, while his legal team argued he had never intended for his remarks to be heard by contestants or the public.
Despite his apology, Walliams resigned from the show two weeks later.
Walliams, who is a hugely popular figure in the UK, filed legal proceedings at London’s High Court last week.
The star is accusing Fremantle, the studio behind the ITV talent show, of a data protection breach over the leaked transcript which ultimately ended his decade-long judging career.
In a statement issued before he quit, Walliams said, “I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain’s Got Talent in 2020."
“These were private conversations and – like most conversations with friends – were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry.”
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