The famous man who tried to get an injunction to prevent the reporting of allegations against him can now be named as David Walliams.
Walliams, 55, brought legal action against Independent Television News (ITN) and Guardian News and Media (GNM), publisher of The Guardian, ahead of the two organisations reporting allegations against him, including of sexual misconduct and potential criminal activity.
Lawyers for the media organisations previously told the High Court in London the allegations involved Walliams’ alleged “abuse of power and status” to contact young women and try to engage in “inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities”.
Walliams denied the claims and unsuccessfully sought an injunction to prevent these publications because of the risk he would take his own life, after two previous suicide attempts.
The author was granted anonymity during the proceedings, which was lifted after his injunction bid was dismissed and GNM and ITN published their investigations on Tuesday.
During a two-day trial in October, the court was told by the media organisations’ lawyers that the allegations were gathered after “a wide-ranging and rigorous investigation” and that there was a “strong” public interest in publishing them.
Gavin Millar KC said that reporters from the media organisations had spoken to more than 100 people, including more than 30 sources with first-hand accounts as well as Walliams’ friends and colleagues.
Walliams’ lawyers said that he had initially attempted suicide after receiving letters from ITN and GNM asking for his reply to the allegations, because of “long-term trauma and the fear of trial by media”.
Sara Mansoori KC, for Walliams, said in written submissions that the author “has no intention of returning to public life” and that the author had not “spuriously raised ‘mental health’ concerns in the face of an impending publication that they do not wish to occur”.
Judge Mr Justice Nicklin refused the bid for an injunction, ruling it would be an “exceptionally serious interference” with freedom of expression.
In the 52-page judgment he also said that granting the injunction would not treat the man’s psychiatric condition or eliminate his elevated risk.
He continued that hospitals and health staff caring for Walliams, who was detained under the Mental Health Act in October, meant that the state had “assumed responsibility” for his immediate safety and “can provide significant protection”, which “materially reduces the likelihood of suicide”.
The former Britain’s Got Talent judge, known for appearing in comedy shows including Come Fly With Me and Little Britain alongside Matt Lucas, has sold more than 60 million copies of his children’s books globally.
They include The Boy In The Dress, Fing, and Gangsta Granny, the latter of which was turned into a one-hour BBC special in 2013, followed by a sequel starring Sheridan Smith in 2022.
Walliams’ book publisher HarperCollins dropped him in December 2025, after an investigation into allegations he had “harassed” young women, which Walliams strongly denied.
Earlier this month, theme park Alton Towers permanently closed its World Of David Walliams attraction, which featured rides inspired by the books.
Walliams left Britain’s Got Talent in 2022 after he apologised for making “disrespectful comments” about auditioning contestants during filming breaks in January 2020 at the London Palladium.
In 2023, Britain’s Got Talent producer Fremantle apologised and reached an “amicable resolution” with Walliams after the remarks he made while on the show were leaked.
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