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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Naomi Clarke

Production company settles with David Walliams after BGT comment leak

Britain’s Got Talent’s producer Fremantle has apologised and reached an “amicable resolution” with David Walliams after remarks he made while acting as a judge on the show were leaked.

The comedian, who appeared on the ITV talent show between 2012 and 2022, was suing the company a for misuse of private information and for breaching UK General Data Protection Regulation (UKGDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

High Court documents released last month said Walliams was accusing the company of causing him psychiatric harm and financial loss.

The TV star, real name David Edward Williams, left Britain’s Got Talent last year after he apologised for making “disrespectful comments” about auditioning contestants during filming breaks in January 2020 at the London Palladium.

The remarks came to light in November 2022 after a transcript was leaked to the Guardian.

A Fremantle spokesperson said in a statement to the PA news agency on Monday: “We are pleased that we have achieved an amicable resolution of this dispute with David.

“We are sincerely sorry that his private conversations when a judge on Britain’s Got Talent were published, and the great distress this caused David.

“We have reviewed our production practices on the show to ensure they fully respect the expectations of our talent whilst satisfying the requirements of the show.

“We have enjoyed a great relationship with David over many years.

“We thank David for being an important part of the Britain’s Got Talent family and the enduring success of the show and hope to have opportunities to work with him in the future.”

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