David Walliams agrees settlement with production company over BGT scandal

Editorial use only. No book publishing. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Dymond/Thames/Syco/Shutterstock (10949055bc) David Walliams, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and Ashley Banjo 'Britain's Got Talent' TV Show, Series 14, Episode 12, The FInal, UK - 10 Oct 2020
David Walliams left Britain’s Got Talent after making ‘disrespectful’ comments about a contestant (Picture: Dymond/Thames/Syco/Shutterstock)

Production company Fremantle said it has agreed a settlement with David Walliams.

The Britain’s Got Talent producer has apologised and reached an ‘amicable resolution’ with Walliams after remarks he made while acting as a judge on the show were leaked.

Fremantle also said it is ‘sincerely sorry’ that his ‘private conversations’ were published.

A spokesperson for Fremantle said: ‘We are pleased that we have achieved an amicable resolution of this dispute with David.

‘We are sincerely sorry that his private conversations when a judge on Britain’s Got Talent were published, and the great distress this caused David.

‘We have reviewed our production practices on the show to ensure they fully respect the expectations of our talent whilst satisfying the requirements of the show.’

Mandatory Credit: Photo by David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock (12764910bc) David Walliams, Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon 'Britain's Got Talent' TV Show photocall, The London Palladium, UK - 18 Jan 2022
Walliams was a judge alongside Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon for 10 years (Picture: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

They added: ‘We have enjoyed a great relationship with David over many years.

‘We thank David for being an important part of the Britain’s Got Talent family and the enduring success of the show and hope to have opportunities to work with him in the future.’

Little Britain star Walliams, 52, was suing FremantleMedia for ‘significant damages’ after he was axed from BGT last series. 

His exit came after an expletive rant he made about a contestant auditioning was leaked.

Details from court papers previously allegedly revealed that Walliams was demanding £10million in damages after claiming that Fremantle Media recorded conversations that he believed to be private for 10 years.

The comedian, who appeared on the ITV talent show between 2012 and 2022, was suing for misuse of private information and for breaching UK General Data Protection Regulation (UKGDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Editorial use only. No book publishing Mandatory Credit: Photo by Dymond/Thames/Syco/REX/Shutterstock (10765684h) David Walliams 'Britain's Got Talent' TV Show, Series 14, Episode 10, Semi Final 1, UK - 05 Sep 2020
The comedian has reached a settlement with BGT’s production company after suing them (Picture Dymond/Thames/Syco/REX/Shutterst)

High Court documents released last month said Walliams was accusing the company of causing him psychiatric harm and financial loss.

The children’s author had claimed that his ‘reputation and earnings have been severely damaged’ as a result of the controversial leak.

Legal documents also showed offers of work that had been ‘withdrawn’ from Walliams, including an alleged travelogue across India on Channel 4.

The TV star – real name David Edward Williams – left the ITV talent show after he apologised for making ‘disrespectful’ remarks about auditionees during filming breaks in January 2020 at the London Palladium.

The remarks came to light in November 2022 after a transcript was leaked to the Guardian.

David Walliams 'Britain's Got Talent' TV Show, Series 13, Episode 2, UK - 13 Apr 2019 Editorial use only. No book publishing. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Dymond/Thames/Syco/Shutterstock (10201923a)
Walliams accused Fremantle of causing him psychiatric harm and financial loss (Picture: Dymond/Thames/Syco/Shutterstock)

According to legal filings, Walliams and the other judges on the show – Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon – would not usually remove their microphones until filming had ended for the day.

As a result, Walliams believed producers ‘retained transcripts… of everything he said’ during his time on the programme, claiming Fremantle ‘must be the ultimate source of the transcripts’ that were leaked.

The comic assumed he was only being recorded when contestants were on stage or during behind-the-scenes filming.

As well as his comments about auditionees, Walliams previously raised concerns about other private conversations he’d had being recorded and retained.

These included him speaking about his struggles with food addiction, his father’s death, and his wife leaving him.

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