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IrelandHigh Court refuses Walliams bid to stop misconduct investigation
BBC News explains the unsuccessful publication challenge and carries the comedian's denial of allegations reported by ITV News and the Guardian.
BBC News
Story of Why this story? One of BBC News's most watched videos since yesterday, with 266,164 views.
David Walliams loses court bid to block publication of sexual misconduct allegations | BBC News
Things we can learn from the video
Press to jump
- 1:06The BBC reports on Walliams's split with HarperCollins and his effort to prevent publication.
- 1:58Lizo Mzimba outlines allegations reported by ITV News and the Guardian, including grooming involving teenage fans.
- 3:12Walliams's response acknowledges thoughtless behaviour but denies unlawful conduct and being a sexual predator.
- 3:54Mzimba explains the unsuccessful High Court injunction application and the mental health concerns raised by Walliams's lawyers.
David Walliams sought a High Court injunction to prevent a sexual misconduct investigation from being published. The court refused, allowing allegations reported by ITV News and the Guardian to become public, according to BBC News.
The BBC broadcast adds an account of that legal challenge to its coverage of the investigation. Entertainment correspondent Lizo Mzimba explains that Mr Justice Nicklin rejected the application, which Walliams's lawyers had based on concerns about his mental health. The BBC says the court concluded that the risks could be mitigated.
ITV News and the Guardian reported allegations of grooming involving fans as young as 15, as well as harassment of women in the workplace over several years. Walliams denies all the allegations.
In the response carried by the BBC, he acknowledges having behaved thoughtlessly towards some people with whom he had casual sexual relationships. His statement also says: "I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law".
The report, which drew about 266,000 views since yesterday, combines David Sillito's recorded package with Mzimba's studio explanation. It also covers Walliams's split with publisher HarperCollins. The court decision at its centre concerns whether the investigation could be published, not a determination that the misconduct allegations are true.
An English actor, comedian and writer known for Little Britain and for serving as a Britain's Got Talent judge from 2012 to 2022.
More on Wikipedia ›One of the senior courts of England and Wales, alongside the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court.
More on Wikipedia ›The news service of British television network ITV. Its programmes are produced by Independent Television News (ITN).
More on Wikipedia ›A British daily newspaper owned through the Scott Trust Limited, which was established to protect its editorial independence. Its profits are reinvested in journalism.
More on Wikipedia ›Sir Matthew James Nicklin is a judge in England's High Court.
More on Wikipedia ›A British-American publishing company and one of the five largest English-language publishers. It is owned by News Corp.
More on Wikipedia ›Published on Trari
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- Channel
- BBC News
- Subscribers
- 20,300,000 ▲ 100,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 37,936,571
- Video published
- November 10, 2026
- Video views so far
- 266,164 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 373,130
The numbers
This was BBC News's most-watched new video since yesterday.
