Graham Norton was reportedly in talks to replace David Walliams on Britain’s Got Talent’s forthcoming season.
The 50-year-old Little Britain comic has been a member of the BGT family for many years, alongside Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, and Amanda Holden.
However, in November 2022, Walliams was involved in controversy after it was revealed that he made disparaging remarks about auditionees.
‘She’s like the slightly dull chick you meet in the pub who thinks you want to f**k them but you don’t,’ the children’s author remarked of a female prospect, according to a transcript obtained by the Guardian.
In January 2020, his slurs were picked up by a microphone used to capture conversations between him and his other judges.
Following the scandal, Walliams’ future on the programme was reportedly ‘up in the air,’ with rumours claiming the judge had resigned, and management reportedly set their sights on host Norton, 59, as his replacement.
‘Bosses had their hearts set on Graham,’ a TV insider told The Sun.
‘Money was not the issue but, after some thought, Graham realised it was not a
Following Walliams’ controversial comments, a spokesperson for BGT told Metro.co.uk at the time that ‘the judging panel for Britain’s Got Talent 2023 will be announced in due course.’
‘It’s still very much up in the air at the moment on whether David is going to take part in next year’s show. No decision, though, has been made as yet,’ they added.
Despite the outcry, co-star and long-serving judge Holden supported Walliams’ return, speaking to Good Morning Britain at the Variety Club Show Business Awards last year.
Asked how she wants the panel to look next year, she replied: ‘I would like to see the judging panel look like it did before. I think we’re a great team, we’re a family,’ she said.
When quizzed directly on if she was ‘Team David’, she quickly replied: ‘Of course, I’m team David.’
Britain’s Got Talent returns to ITV later this year.