BBC removes Room on the Broom following Walliams allegations
Summarised from 3 outlets · 4 reports · Updated 14 Nov, 17:56 · Archive
The BBC has removed the animated children's film Room on the Broom featuring David Walliams after he was accused of sexual misconduct.
The BBC has removed the 2012 animated adaptation of Julia Donaldson's children's book Room on the Broom from iPlayer as part of a review of all material featuring or written by David Walliams. The decision follows allegations of sexual misconduct against the 55-year-old former Britain's Got Talent judge and bestselling author, which he denies.
Walliams voiced a frog character in the 30-minute film, a minor role consisting of three lines and comedic reaction noises. His character's lines include: 'I am a frog, as clean as can be. Is there room on the broom for a frog like me?' The film also features voice work by Gillian Anderson as the witch and Simon Pegg as narrator, alongside Rob Brydon, Martin Clunes, Sally Hawkins and Timothy Spall.
The Guardian and ITV News reported on Tuesday that multiple women have accused Walliams of grooming them as teenagers. One woman described her alleged encounter with him when she was 15 as sexual assault. Walliams denies all wrongdoing.
On Friday, the Metropolitan Police confirmed it had received a number of non-recent serious sexual offence allegations against Walliams in recent days and is probing them. A BBC spokesperson said: 'These are serious allegations. As such, the BBC is looking carefully at all material featuring and written by David Walliams on our platforms. We are in the process of removing some programmes, including Little Britain, whilst this review is under way.'
Other programmes featuring Walliams are also being removed, including Little Britain, which he created with Matt Lucas and ran from 2003 to 2006, and their follow-up series Come Fly With Me, which aired in 2010. A 2020 episode of Who Do You Think You Are? featuring Walliams has also been taken down.
How it is being reported
- BBC removes Room On The Broom film featuring David WalliamsEarlier in the week the BBC said it was carrying out a review of ‘all material’ featuring and written by Walliams on its platforms.Evening Standard · 14 Nov, 13:49
- David Walliams' Room On The Broom removed by BBC after alleged 'serious' sexual offencesThe BBC has removed the 2012 film adaptation of Julia Donaldson's children's book Room On The Broom from iPlayer featuring David Walliams, who faces allegations of sexual misconduct...The Mirror · 14 Nov, 13:15
- BBC removes Room On The Broom film featuring David WalliamsEarlier in the week the BBC said it was carrying out a review of ‘all material’ featuring and written by Walliams on its platforms.Evening Standard · 14 Nov, 11:33
- BBC removes David Walliams TV programme despite disgraced star only having 3 linesDavid Walliams has been accused of sexual misconduct, which he denies (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock) The BBC has removed the animated show Room on the Broom as part of its scrapping of programming involving David Walliams . The former Britain’s Got Talent judge was this week accused of…Metro · 14 Nov, 10:09
In this story: David Walliams · BBC · Julia Donaldson · Gillian Anderson · Simon Pegg · Metropolitan Police · The Guardian · ITV News
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