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Production company Fremantle said it has agreed a settlement with David Walliams and is “sincerely sorry that his private conversations when a judge on Britain’s Got Talent were published”
The 52-year-old comedian resigned from his position as a judge on the ITV program in November last year when a recording of him making offensive remarks about contestants became public. He has since reached a settlement, reported to be "way under" the £10 million he initially sought, with the MailOnline reporting the sum is "comfortably less than £5 million."
David alleged the misuse of private information and violations of UK General Data Protection Regulation (UKGDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. High Court documents that emerged last month revealed Walliams' claims of suffering psychiatric distress and financial setbacks due to Fremantle's actions.
READ MORE: BBC 'pulls funding from new David Walliams project' after controversial BGT axe
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The entertainer, known by his real name, David Edward Williams, publicly apologized for making what he described as "disrespectful comments" about auditioning contestants during filming breaks at the London Palladium in January 2020. These comments surfaced in November 2022 after a leaked transcript found its way to The Guardian.
In response to the resolution, a spokesperson from Fremantle released a statement to the PA news agency, stating: “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. 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.” The star had been recorded on a hot mic during an audition show at the London Palladium calling an elderly contestant a 'c***' three times when they left the stage.
He also claimed another contestant would think he wanted to 'f***' her. As she walked on stage he muttered: 'She's like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f*** them, but you don't… “It's the last thing on your mind, but she's like 'Yep, I bet you do!' 'No I don't!' I had a bit of a boner, but now it's going, it's now shrivelled up inside my body.” Walliams had apologised publicly when the recordings were first published by The Guardian last year.
In the high court documents, which were released last month, his lawyers argued that the comments were part of a private conversation not intended for broadcast. The lawyers for Thames TV, the production company behind BGT, agreed.
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- David Walliams
- Britains Got Talent
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