Sky and producers drop David Walliams from film Fing!

Summarised from 3 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 11 Nov, 17:44 · Archive

Sky has withdrawn from distributing the film Fing! and producers have removed David Walliams's cameo following sexual misconduct allegations.

Sky has announced it will no longer distribute the film Fing!, based on David Walliams's 2019 children's book, following sexual misconduct allegations made against the 55-year-old comedian and children's author. The film was due to be released in early 2027. A joint investigation by The Guardian and ITV News, published on Tuesday, revealed allegations that Walliams groomed fans as young as 15 and harassed women in the workplace over a number of years. One woman described an alleged encounter when she was 15 as sexual assault.

Walliams attempted to obtain an injunction to prevent the reporting of the allegations but was unsuccessful. He has denied the claims, stating: 'I am not a sexual predator' and 'I have not broken the law.' However, in a statement released on Tuesday, he acknowledged that 'looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with. I realise I did not always take people's feelings properly into account.' He added: 'Whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did.'

The film's producers told media outlets they take the allegations seriously and have removed Walliams's cameo appearance from the film entirely. He will have no involvement in the film's release or promotion. Sky said in a statement: 'The allegations made against David Walliams are extremely serious. We have notified the producers of the film of our intention to exit our position as the UK & Ireland licensee of Fing.' The company has also removed content featuring Walliams from its platforms.

According to The Guardian, Australian distributor Transmission Films has confirmed Walliams will not participate in the Australian publicity campaign ahead of the film's 14 January cinema debut in that country. The film stars Taika Waititi and Mia Wasikowska, and is directed by Jeffrey Walker. UK media minister Ian Murray told Parliament on Wednesday that a 'cultural problem' in the media industry needs to be 'stamped out', calling for zero-tolerance towards abuse and greater support for whistleblowers.

How it is being reported

• Sky drops new David Walliams movie after ‘extremely serious’ allegationsA film based on his book Fing! was due to be distributed by Sky across the UK and Ireland early next year.Evening Standard · 11 Nov, 17:28
• Sky drops new David Walliams movie after ‘extremely serious’ allegationsA film based on his book Fing! was due to be distributed by Sky across the UK and Ireland early next year.Evening Standard · 11 Nov, 17:01
• David Walliams cameo cut from Australian film after sexual harassment allegationsChildren’s author and comedian, who wrote the book on which the movie Fing! is based, will also be removed from the publicity tour Revealed: David Walliams accused of using celebrity status to prey on young women for sex What are the key legal issues surrounding the David Walliams case? The distributors of an upcoming Australian film based on a book by children’s author and television personality David Walliams have confirmed he will be removed from the film and its publicity run after sexual harassment allegations were made public. Transmission Films has confirmed that Walliams, a co-writer…Guardian World · 11 Nov, 15:13
• David Walliams Axed From Upcoming Film Adaptation Of His Children's BookDavid Walliams at last year’s London Film Festival David Walliams has been dropped from the upcoming fantasy movie Fing!, which no longer has a UK distributor after Sky announced it was distancing itself from the project. On Tuesday, Walliams was accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct following a years-long investigation by The Guardian and ITN . He has denied all of the allegations against him . Following this, it was confirmed he would no longer be making a cameo in Fing!, the film adaptation of his children’s book of the same name, in which his former Little Britain co-star Matt…HuffPost UK · 11 Nov, 11:41
• David Walliams movie dropped by Sky as producers wipe star from film and marketingFing!, which is based on Walliams’ 2019 children’s book of the same name, also features the writer in a cameo roleEvening Standard · 11 Nov, 10:38

In this story: David Walliams · Sky · The Guardian · ITV News · Transmission Films · Ian Murray

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