According to reports, Britain’s Got Talent awarded David Walliams a new £1 million deal despite being aware of nasty comments he made about candidates.
After his profanity outburst was leaked, the Little Britain star, 52, is suing the ITV show’s production firm, Fremantle, for an unlawful data protection violation.
According to the newest developments in the shocking case, Fremantle was ‘well aware of the claims’ when it gave Walliams a new £1 million contract for the 2023 season.
The comedian’s lawyer said in High Court documents seen by The Guardian that the firm only withdrew the offer when the transcript of the rant was published.
Walliams sued Fremantle earlier this year for misusing private information and violating the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UKGDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
In a statement, Fremantle told the publication: ’We had a long and productive relationship with David and so are surprised and saddened by this legal action.
‘For our part, we remain available and open to dialogue to resolve this matter amicably. However, in the interim, we will examine the various allegations and are prepared to robustly defend ourselves if necessary.’
In documents obtained by the PA News Agency, he also accuses the corporation of suffering him psychological anguish and financial loss.
The court filing states Walliams believes producers ‘retained transcripts… of everything he said’ during his time on the show and claims the defendant ‘must be the ultimate source of the transcripts’ that were leaked.
According to the documents, Walliams and the other judges on the show would not normally remove their microphones until the day’s filming was completed.
The comic felt he was only being videotaped when the candidates were on stage or during backstage shooting.
Walliams claims that the production firm taped private discussions in which he discussed his issues with food addiction, his father’s death, and his wife leaving him.
Details of a draught report by Dr Mark Collins, a retired consultant psychiatrist and practising psychotherapist who treated Walliams, were included in the file.
It stated that the transcript release had a ‘profound, severe, and at times extremely concerning effect on [Walliams’] mental health.’
He also said that Walliams ‘is plagued by uncontrollable negative thoughts’, including ‘active suicidal thoughts’ and revealed he is ‘on heavier doses of medication than at any time during my being his consultant psychiatrist.’
Walliams was a judge on BGT from 2012 to 2022, after apologising for making ‘disrespectful statements’ about auditioning hopefuls during filming breaks at the London Palladium in January 2020.
Britain’s Got Talent is available to stream on ITVX.
