David Walliams is suing the production company behind Britain’s Got Talent at the High Court.
The case, which has been lodged against FremantleMedia under the comedian’s real name, David Edward Williams, is listed as dealing with data protection.
No further details have been disclosed.
FremantleMedia has declined to comment.
The 52-year-old, who had appeared as a judge on the ITV talent programme since 2012, did not return for the show’s latest series earlier this year.
Walliams was replaced by former Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli, who joined the judging panel alongside Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon.
This came after the Little Britain star apologised for making “disrespectful comments" about auditioning contestants during breaks in filming for the popular show in January 2020.
The remarks, made at the London Palladium, first came to light in November 2022 after a transcript was leaked to the Guardian.
It reported that Walliams had used a vulgar term to refer to an older performer three times when he was out of earshot after an unsuccessful audition for the ITV talent show.
He was also alleged to have said about another contestant: “She’s like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f*** them, but you don’t.”
The publication reported that a spokesperson for Thames TV, part of FremantleMedia, had said that though the production company regarded Walliams’ comments as private, his language was “inappropriate"
At the time, ITV said: “We do not condone the language outlined in these allegations, and we have spoken to the producers of Britain’s Got Talent.
“Duty of care towards all participants on any of our programmes is always of paramount importance and we have protocols and guidelines in place for all our production partners.”
Walliams’ representatives have been approached for comment.
