David Walliams dodges Britain's Got Talent question during TV interview
The comedian and author left the ITV entertainment show in 2022
Watch David Walliams dodges Britain's Got Talent question during TV interview
What did you miss?
David Walliams dodged a question about his Britain's Got Talent exit as he appeared on ITV's Lorraine.
The author and comedian was a judge on the series alongside Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon. In 2022, Walliams apologised after The Guardian reported that he made unpleasant comments about contestants during the recording of an episode of the ITV entertainment show in January 2020. He resigned from the panel.
Britain's Got Talent (BGT) came up on Wednesday, when Walliams appeared on Lorraine, with host Lorraine Kelly asking if he was tuning in to the new series.
What, how and why?
She asked: "Britain's Got Talent is on, how are you feeling about that? Do you watch, do you not watch? Are you a bit sorry about how it all finished? What’s the thing?”
However, Walliams swerved the question slightly, focusing on what he had coming up instead. "Well I have been travelling a lot so I have not had a chance to see it," he said. "I’m really enjoying spending all the time being creative.
"Because although we’ve got the books, there is also like, working on an animation series of Gangsta Granny, there’s an animated film of Slime… there is so much going on. Being creative is what I really really love. So that’s what, so actually getting back to that. Getting back working with Matt (Little Britain co-star Matt Lucas) has been a joy."
BGT came up again as Walliams told Kelly he was getting a new puppy, who he and his 11-year-old son Alfred have named Eric – which is also the name of Simon Cowell's son.
The star already has two dogs and explained: "We have a Bert and an Ernie. And then it's Eric and Ernie."
"It's a tribute to Simon Cowell in a way," giggled Kelly. "Because that's his son!" "Is his son not called Eric?" she laughed.
But Walliams didn't look too amused and insisted: "Well, he is named after Eric Morecambe."
Viewers picked up on the tension, with some commenting about it on X. "David Walliams trying to be diplomatic about #BGT," posted one. Someone else joked: "David Walliams would make an excellent politician."
What happened on Britain's Got Talent?
Walliams was a judge on BGT from 2012 to 2022. In November 2022, The Guardian said it had seen a leaked transcript in which the star made derogatory and sexually explicit remarks about contestants on the 2020 series.
The star apologised, saying in a statement to the publication: “I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain’s Got Talent in 2020. These were private conversations and – like most conversations with friends – were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry.”
In November last year, Walliams reached a settlement with Britain's Got Talent production company Fremantle after it was reported he was suing the company for misuse of private information and breaching data laws.
A Fremantle spokesperson told the PA News agency in November: "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."
Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli replaced Walliams on the judging panel.
