A WELL-KNOWN comedian and children's book author will no longer appear at an event which stops in Somerset's county town after he was removed from the schedule.
David Walliams, known for his comedy roles on TV over the years and the writing of many popular children's books, has been removed from the line-up for the Waterstones Children’s Book Festival, the book chain has said.
Set to stop off in Taunton in Somerset, the event is also being held in two other locations in Dundee and Lincoln in May 2026.
READ MORE: David Walliams strongly denies inappropriate behaviour claims
READ MORE: Taunton author set to release new book with core message
The removal of Walliams from the event comes after the 54-year-old’s book publisher HarperCollins dropped him last week, following an investigation into allegations he had “harassed” young women.
Walliams strongly denies allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
A statement from Waterstones said: “HarperCollins have confirmed that David Walliams will not be attending our children’s book festivals."
Walliams has been removed from the list of speakers on the festival website.
The TV star, known for appearing in comedy shows including Come Fly With Me and Little Britain alongside Matt Lucas, is also an award-winning children’s author whose books have sold more than 60 million copies globally, according to the HarperCollins website.
Last week, the publisher said that “after careful consideration”, they would not be releasing any new titles from Walliams.
Known for his role as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, he left the role in 2022 after he apologised for making “disrespectful comments” about auditioning contestants during filming breaks in January 2020 at the London Palladium.
In 2023, Britain’s Got Talent producer Fremantle apologised and reached an “amicable resolution” with Walliams after the remarks he made while on the show were leaked.
Walliams, who appeared on the ITV talent show between 2012 and 2022, was suing the company for misuse of private information and for breaching UK General Data Protection Regulation (UKGDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
The comedian, actor and presenter was made an OBE in 2017 for services to the arts and charity, having raised £2 million for Sport Relief by completing a 140-mile swim down the River Thames.
A spokesperson for Walliams said in a statement to the Press Association on Friday (December 19): “David has never been informed of any allegations raised against him by HarperCollins.
“He was not party to any investigation or given any opportunity to answer questions. David strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately and is taking legal advice.”
Share