TV chiefs face a legal crackdown to make them protect girls from predatory entertainers following the David Walliams and Russell Brand scandals.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is hauling broadcasters in for a showdown next week after it was claimed that Walliams’ alleged preying on young women was – as with Brand – an ‘open secret’ in the industry.
Both are said to have become so powerful, and were so lucrative for broadcasters, that their behaviour went unchallenged.
The children’s author and TV star, 55, has denied claims that he groomed schoolgirls, sexually assaulted a 15-year-old and pestered teenagers for sex. He said he was ‘not a sexual predator’.
Ms Nandy vowed to ‘draw a line in the sand’ when she meets entertainment leaders – threatening laws to clean up the industry if they do not act.
She said: ‘A decade and a half on from the revelations about Jimmy Savile, and ten years on from the MeToo movement, we must finally take meaningful steps to end abuse and harassment.’
Russell Brand and David Walliams at the British Comedy Awards in London in December 2006
Lisa Nandy is hauling broadcasters in next week after it was claimed that Walliams’ alleged preying on young women was – as with Brand – an ‘open secret’ in the industry
No10 called the Walliams allegations ‘deeply troubling’, and said there was ‘a pattern of behaviour that needs to change’.
Former Britain’s Got Talent judge Walliams allegedly used his star power to lure young women to his dressing room and his £3.5million north London house.
A string of teenagers and young women made allegations of sexual misconduct to an investigation by The Guardian and ITV News.
Walliams threatened to kill himself if they were published, but failed to secure a court injunction preventing the Press from naming him.
The comedian and author is understood to be in a psychiatric hospital, just days after rapist Brand was jailed for more than ten years.
Chatshow host Jonathan Ross, who knew both, apologised for a tasteless joke he made to the 2004 comedy awards about a 15-year-old ‘probably going home’ with Walliams.
Ross said he was ‘horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand’.
He said he had once been friendly with both, adding: ‘During that period I was genuinely unaware of their conduct.’
A photo from 2003 shows Ross with Walliams and one of his accusers. Lilly Creightmore was 18 when Walliams invited her to stay at his home.
She told Newsnight: ‘One night I think he put his head in my lap and sort of be like, “Are you sure you don’t want to come and sleep in my bed with me?” I had an inner strength, like “No”.’
Jonathan Ross, pictured yesterday, has apologised for a tasteless joke he made to the 2004 comedy awards about a 15-year-old ‘probably going home’ with Walliams
Comedian Lucy Beaumont, one of the investigation’s whistleblowers, said a young TV worker told her ‘his job was to take young girls to Walliams’ dressing room’.
The youngsters were over 16, she said, but ‘were working-class girls and some had never been to London before’.
She said: ‘I was worried these girls were young. I tried to contact some of them to ask if they were all right.’
One was ‘in a really bad way’ and Walliams’ lawyers had told her to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to secure her silence.
Ms Beaumont said the NDA ‘against someone who was groomed as a child’ stopped her telling her family or a therapist.
Hi, I’m Alex Matthews, Editor of The Crime Desk.
Russell Brand has been found guilty of rape and three sexual assaults – and our reporters Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull were in court every day to witness it all. They sat down with Detective Inspector Laura Nelson who revealed why the women who accused him in the infamous documentary were not involved in his rape trial.
Dermot McNamara, a TV agent, said he raised concerns with ‘authorities and broadcasters’ about Walliams after a client, who was 16 when she was taken backstage at BGT, was invited to Walliams’ home where allegedly ‘inappropriate behaviour’ happened.
He said he reported the incident, which allegedly took place ten years ago, but nothing happened.
Former BGT make-up artist Lou Teasdale claimed it was ‘standard protocol’ for young girls to be made to sign NDAs – and have their phones taken away – before being left alone with famous men.
HarperCollins, which sold more than 60million copies of Walliams’ books, dumped him a year ago over claims that he harassed young female staff, which he denies.
Walliams has denied all the allegations. His lawyers said he had never groomed young women or had sex with underage girls.
ITV said Fremantle, the production company behind BGT, had confirmed ‘that no complaint has ever been made to them about David Walliams’, adding: ‘We are completely committed at ITV to creating an environment where everyone is treated with respect.’
Equalities minister Bridget Phillipson said the Government should restrict the use of NDAs – and even consider a ban.
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