David Walliams is being criticised for a resurfaced video of the comedian humiliating a 16-year-old boy by pulling his trousers and pants down on stage.
In the footage, Walliams grabs three volunteers aged 16 to 18-years-old on stage in a game of “hide the sausage”. He is in character as Little Britain character Des Kaye, a fictional former children’s entertainer working in a hardware store.
The clip was filmed as part of a 2007 BBC documentary titled Little Britain Down Under, which followed the show’s tour of Australia.
The Des Kaye act begins with Walliams asking a volunteer on stage to confirm their age. When one boy says that he’s 16-years-old, the comedian responds, “Bingo. You’re a big boy for 16 aren’t you – that’s what I’ll tell the judge.”
The controversial comedian then kisses the boy on the lips and proceeds to lunge for his trousers in a game of “hide the sausage”. The boy can be seen struggling to keep his genitals covered on stage.
Viewers have voiced their criticism of the resurfaced clip. One Twitter user wrote: “Without doubt one of the creepiest/sickest excuses for a ‘man’ I have ever seen.”
Another said: “Thought I couldn’t dislike this ‘comedian’ more than I do already. Very unfunny. Appalling.”
Walliams has defended the sketch, stating: “To me there are no subjects you can’t make fun of because if you make that line then you have to get rid of all comedy.”
In a separate clip on the documentary, the comedian said, “I love cruelty, it’s my favourite thing in the world.”
Walliams has performed the same sketch many times. In 2010, he did the same to Mark Ronson at a charity event. Walliams was forced to apologise to the DJ and music producer. He said: “Mark is a cool, calm character. To put him in that position was out of his comfort zone.”
TheBritain’s Got Talent judge recently found himself criticised over his popular children’s books. Writer Jack Monroe reviewed the books in a lengthy Twitter thread which has since gone viral. In it, Monroe brands Walliams’ books as “classist fatshaming nonsense”.
