David Walliams is suing Britain’s Got Talent bosses after his exit from the show

*Trigger Warning: This article contains language that some readers might find offensive.*

The comedian joined the panel of the ITV show in 2012.

David Walliams, 52, is suing the production company behind Britain's Got Talent following his departure from the ITV talent show. The former judge left the show back in November 2022, 10 years after an apology for making 'disrespectful comments' about contestants who auditioned at the London Palladium in January 2020. He said in a statement: "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." The transcripts of Walliam's commentary, which were made during breaks in filming, were leaked to The Guardian. The 'inappropriate' remarks, which were picked up by the microphones used to record discussions and deliberations by the judges, and Walliam's was hard labelling an older contestant as a 'c*nt' three times after the contestant had an unsuccessful audition. The contestant was out of earshot for the derogatory comments.

He also made sexually explicit comments not long after a female contestant, who was also auditioning on the show, had walked off stage, saying: "She thinks you want to f*ck her, but you don’t."

At the time, the production company behind the show, Thames TV, part of FremantleMedia, said that while the comedian's comments were made in private, the language used was 'inappropriate.' According to Sky News, Walliams has now lodged a legal case against FremantleMedia with the High Court in London that has been submitted under the comedian's real name, David Edward Williams. It has been listed as dealing with data protection but no further details have been disclosed.

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