Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams has apologized for making “disrespectful comments” about contestants during filming breaks for the ITV talent show.
The 51-year-old comedian reportedly made disparaging remarks and sexually explicit remarks about those who auditioned for the show at the London Palladium in January 2020.
According to a leaked transcript seen by The Guardian, Walliams is suggested to have referred to an older artist as a “c***” three times when he was out of earshot, following a failed audition.
During his audition, the contestant engaged in light-hearted banter with the judges in which he joked around with Walliams, it was reported.
The transcript also suggests that additional sexually explicit comments were made after a contestant left the stage.
In a statement, 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,” reported RTE.
The Guardian reported that lawyers for Walliams and Thames TV, the production company behind Britain’s Got Talent, said the comments were part of a private conversation that was never intended to be broadcast.
Their comments were picked up by microphones used to capture discussions between the judges, including Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden.
RTE reported, in a statement, ITV said: “We do not condone the language outlined in these allegations, and we have spoken to the producers of Britain’s Got Talent. Duty of care towards all participants on any of our programmes is always of paramount importance and we have protocols and guidelines in place for all our production partners.”
The Guardian reported that Walliams’ comments were the only instances of derogatory comments about contestants from the three episodes that were reviewed.
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