The action against FremantleMedia is listed as dealing with data protection. No other details have been given.
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Last November, he admitted making “disrespectful comments” about two contestants during filming in 2020. He apologised and said that the remarks “were never intended to be shared”.
The Guardian reported that a leaked transcript seen by the newspaper showed he had made derogatory and sexually explicit remarks about contestants during the recording of an episode of the talent show in January 2020.
Are the two linked? Presumably a leaked recording could be a data protection issue… If so, it’d be a bit cheeky suing over the thing that got you sacked but his lawyers clearly have an angle of attack they think will work (or get settled out of court).
It’s funny because he has made a career out of being rude to people (and writing kid’s books) and that is why he got hired for the show (I assume - I don’t watch it, so he could be handing out advice on how to break into children’s publishing). So sacking him for it seems a little… rude.
It’s pretty impressive to be sacked for being rude and obnoxious when one of your co-hosts is Simon Cowell.
Next he should host next to Jeremy Clarkson and we can see how long he lasts. If he managed to get fired from that as well, then he has a gift.
Perhaps they want to make a point, that if someone were to obtain footage or other content of Walliams behaving inappropriately by means such as this, that they would immediately bat it down in a similar way.
Yes, I imagine celebrity’s lawyers have been running this kind of interference for their clients since the dawn of camera phones, presumably we don’t hear about the majority of cases as people are paid off and NDAed. It’s a different issue when it’s a production company.
I’ve never trusted this slimeball. He uses sexual harassment as a comedy tool and plays on old homophobic stereotypes. It’s always wound me up, but I’ve just always had this feeling that he’s a villain off screen.
100% would not be surprised to find out these contestants we young.
I’m just waiting for his downfall.
Also, I probably think there’s probably a difference between making rude remarks in an expected forum as a part of a judges critic for entertainment, i.e. when we all think it’s for show and he’s playing a bit of a character, versus making rude remarks behind the scenes and he’d be expected to be out of character and be more amicable.
What did he say to the contestants? Was it Russell Brand levels of inappropriate?
This is the best summary I could come up with:
David Walliams has filed a High Court case against the production company that makes ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent.
In a statement at the time, the TV personality 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.
Thames TV, which is part of FremantleMedia, said the company regarded Walliams’ comments as private, but that his use of language was “inappropriate”.
This January, Fremantle announced that former Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli would join Britain’s Got Talent for its 2023 series, effectively replacing Walliams.
During his time on Britain’s Got Talent, he won the prize for best judge at the National Television Awards in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
He has also enjoyed success as a best-selling author with books including Gangsta Granny and The Boy in the Dress.
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