BBC bosses have cancelled funding for David Walliam’s newest TV project in the wake of his controversial comments about contestants on Britain’s Got Talent.
The comedian, 52, has taken the broadcaster to court after the Little Britain star was leaked making remarks on a number of contestants when he was a judge on the ITV show. In the clips, Walliams was heard making explicit comments on some of the participants whilst off-screen – a move that saw him leave the ITV show last November.
In High Court documents discovered by The Mirror, David alleges that the BBC pulled vital funding for the upcoming animated adaptation of his book Gangsta Granny. As part of his £10million legal battle with Britain’s Got Talent production company Fremantle, the Come Fly With Me star added that the BBC’s reasoning for taking money out of the show was down to “negative publicity” triggered by the scandal.
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Forming part of the comedian’s claim, David insists he was unaware the comments he made about the contestants were being recorded and transcribed. As a result, Walliams believes that Fremantle broke privacy and data protection rules after the audio leaked. This clashes with Fremantle’s approach, that states from 2018, cameras “would now be rolling 24/7”.
(Image: PA)
The public broadcaster has already adapted seven of David’s books into animated series during the past 11 years. His newest project – Gangsta Granny – was reported to be in development before being shelved, with the BBC refusing to commission the next book.
Fortunately for the author, vital funds for the project – alongside what the BBC had contributed – were sourced before the BGT debacle went public. Insiders at the BBC would not say whether the show would be commissioned, but pals close to Walliams said that the series would be produced soon, with the aim of being broadcast on the BBC.
(Image: PA)
“David remains the best-selling children’s author in the UK and the animation is progressing as expected,” they said. High Court documents brought forward by Walliams’ lawyer also revealed that all future adaptions of his books that are not being shown on the BBC have been cancelled.
Walliams also alleges that “schools, libraries and shops removed his books” as a result of the scandal, which have damaged his reputation and limited the sales of his work. Production company Fremantle admitted it would like to “resolve the matter amicably”, but insisted it would “robustly defend” itself if pushed to it.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
