Britain’s Got Alan: Carr in for Walliams
ALAN Carr is to replace David Walliams on the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel, the Daily Mail can reveal.
The comedian, best known for his Channel 4 series Alan Carr: Chatty Man, has been handed the role alongside Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon.
Walliams left the ITV show after recordings were made public of him making vile sexual remarks about two contestants during auditions in January 2020.
A source close to BGT told the Mail: ‘Alan is hilarious but also kind. He tells a mean joke but he is also soft in the middle. The bosses are already excited about how wonderful he will be with the contestants.
‘He will complement the panel so well, he is really close friends with Amanda and he has known Simon and Alesha for years too. Everyone involved in the show is so excited and they can’t wait to get started.’
Auditions for the next series of BGT start in two weeks. Executives at ITV and the show’s production company Fremantle have been searching for a replacement for Walliams since it was decided he would step down two months ago. Bosses looked at hiring former Strictly professional dancer Oti Mabuse and also approached chat show host Graham Norton.
Carr, 46, who split from his husband Paul Drayton last August after 13 years of marriage, is close friends with Miss Holden. Her husband Chris Hughes represents Cowell through management firm YMU.
It was reported in November that Walliams, 51, stood down from his role as a judge on the programme after ten years, although sources close to the show say that he ‘jumped before he was pushed’.
The former Little Britain star, who is also a children’s author, was forced to apologise for his outbursts but insisted that they were made in private conversations.