Walliams, one of the UK’s best-known TV personalities and children’s book author, was recorded referring to one contestant as a ‘pussy’ and telling another: ‘She thinks you want to fuck her but you don’t.’ The offensive comments were made during a taped audition show at the London Palladium in January 2020. Lawyers for Walliams and Thames TV, the production company behind Britain’s Got Talent, argued that the comments were part of a private conversation that was not intended never for broadcast. One of the incidents recorded in the transcript involved an elderly performer engaging in some light-hearted banter with the judges, in which he made a fuss about Walliams. BGT judges Simon Cowell and David Walliams outside the London Palladium in January 2020. Photo: Stuart C Wilson/Getty Images After an unsuccessful audition, the pensioner left the stage. When he didn’t have an earpiece, the transcript suggests, Williams described him three times as a “pussy.” His comments were picked up by microphones used to record the discussions between the judges when they sit at their desks in the center of the room. The recordings are understood to have been made for possible broadcast on Britain’s Got Talent or other spin-off shows, which often contain candid remarks from the judges between auditions. The other incident happened shortly after a contestant on the same show left the stage. When her performance was over, Walliams remarked: “She’s like that slightly boring girl you meet in the pub who thinks you want to fuck them, but you don’t.” Walliams repeated: “She thinks you want to fuck her, but you don’t.” He then added: “I know, it’s like, ‘Oh, geez!’ I was like, she thinks you want to fuck her, but you don’t. It’s the last thing on your mind, but he says, “Yeah, I bet you do!” ‘No I don’t!’ I had some courage, but now it’s gone, now it’s shriveled up inside my body.” In a statement, Walliams said: “I would like to apologize to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain’s Got Talent 2020. These were private conversations and – like most conversations with friends – were not intended never be shared. However, I’m sorry.” A Thames spokesman said that while the production company considered Williams’ comments private, his language was “inappropriate” and he was reminded of the show’s “expectations of future professional behaviour”. Williams’ comments were the only derogatory comments about the contestants in leaked transcripts from three episodes reviewed by the Guardian. There is no indication that Simon Cowell or any other judge made offensive comments about the contestants. A spokesman for Cowell and Syco Entertainment, the co-producer of Britain’s Got Talent, said: “We were not aware of the alleged conversation until contacted by the Guardian, and while it is not suggested Simon overheard the alleged comments, we can confirm he did. not. Britain’s Got Talent is a family show and we do not condone the use of any such language.’ Walliams’ comments about the contestants are likely to raise questions about his behavior on the hit show and contribute to the ongoing debate about the ethics of reality TV and its treatment of audience members. Contact integration An ITV spokesman said the duty of care to participants in its programs was “of the utmost importance”. “We do not condone the language described in these allegations and have spoken to the producers of Britain’s Got Talent.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. ITV has repeatedly faced questions in recent months about its treatment of contestants on some of its best-loved reality shows. Earlier this summer, Love Island prompted 3,617 complaints to media regulator Ofcom about perceived misogynist behavior by some male contestants. In March, another ITV programme, The Jeremy Kyle Show, was the subject of a damning Channel 4 documentary outlining an allegedly toxic culture. ITV rejected the documentary’s central claim of a “bad culture” in The Jeremy Kyle Show production team and in a statement ahead of this year’s Love Island series the channel released details of its extensive care protocols for contestants. The scrutiny of both ITV shows formed part of the 2019 parliamentary inquiry into the reality show. Separately, the Guardian has also seen a 2012 casting list from Britain’s Got Talent, used by staff involved in recruiting potential contestants, which labels some of them as “buzz offs”, abbreviated as “BO”. The document suggests that the show’s production staff chose contestants they expected to fail the talent competition. “I think he can go all the way to the final!” An executive from the casting team apparently wrote about a contestant being “called”. “He only got through because he’s so unlikely.” A note next to another contestant read: “Not sure she’s bad enough.” Five former employees who worked for the show’s casting team told the Guardian that the terms “BO” and “buzz off” were codes for potentially entertaining contestants who production staff thought might perform poorly and be rejected by the judges. Two of the former production staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the term was still being used in 2016. Thames’ lawyers did not respond to questions about whether the term is still used. They acknowledged that BGT production staff might sometimes suspect a contestant would be “uncaring”, but said they were not put in the expectation that they would be humiliated. They added that production staff regularly prove wrong in their estimation of how well an act will perform. They emphasized that all contestants were judged by the judges, based on their performance on the day, and the result was never predetermined. The lawyers added that Thames “holds contestants in the highest regard”, did not “engage in or condone any exploitative or unethical practices towards BGT contributors” and had a “thorough and robust” welfare support system for contestants. A spokesman for Thames added: “The contestants are at the heart of everything on Britain’s Got Talent. We are an inclusive show open to anyone – and we are grateful to every show that auditions.” Lawyers for Cowell and Syco said they were unaware that the casting staff was identifying contestants who were “retarded”. A spokesman for Cowell and Syco added: “The incredible, talented and diverse contestants who audition are at the heart of Britain’s Got Talent and we have the utmost respect and gratitude for everyone involved – and are incredibly proud of the success of the many Got Talent contestants. “ There is no indication that any of the other judges were aware of or engaged in the practice of designating prospective performers as “slowing down” contestants.
