The Scotsman

Walliams’ role as judge on talent show up in the air

- By SCOTT MCCARTNEY

David Walliams' future as a judge on Britain's Got Talent is "very much up in the air", a spokespers­on for the ITV show has said.

It comes after reports that the comedian will be leaving the show after 10 years as a judge, having first joined the panel in 2012. Walliams recently apologised for making "disrespect­ful comments" about contestant­s during breaks in filming the popular show.

But a spokespers­on for BGT said that no final decision had been made around the 2023 judging line-up. "The judging panel for Britain's Got Talent 2023 will be announced in due course," the spokespers­on said in a statement. "It's still very much up in the air at the moment on whether David is going to take part in next year's show. No decision, though, has been made as yet."

Walliams was part of the show's original judging panel alongside Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon. it is also understood that as auditions in front of the judging panel are not due to begin for another two months, no one is currently contracted for the show. walliams’ apology, made earlier this month, came after the comedian was reportedly recorded making derogatory remarks and sexually explicit comments about participan­ts auditionin­g for the show at the London Palladium in January 2020. According to a leaked transcript seen by the Guardian, it was suggested Walliams referred to an older performer as a "c***" three times when he was out of ear shot, following an unsuccessf­ul audition.

During his audition, the contestant had engaged in lightheart­ed banter with the judges in which he made a jibe about Walliams, it has been reported. The transcript also suggests further sexually explicit comments were made after a female contestant had walked off the stage.

He was reported as saying: “She’ s like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f*** them, but you don’t.”

Walliams said: "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 were never intended to be shared. never the less, I am sorry."

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