David Walliams’ book Fing was due to be turned into a film and released by Sky in the UK but the broadcaster has pulled out following allegations against the writer
David Walliams’ new movie has been dropped by Sky after new allegations about him were published yesterday.
Fing! is a live-action family adventure film adapted from Walliams’ 2019 children’s book of the same title. The 55-year-old co-wrote the script and was due to appear in the film with Taika Waititi and Mia Wasikowska.
His Little Britain co-star Matt Lucas provides the voice of Fing, an elusive creature that lives in the jungle.
However Walliams’ cameo has now been edited out of the movie and it will not be shown in the UK. A spokesperson for Sky told the press: “The allegations made against David Walliams are extremely serious.
“We have notified the producers of the film of our intention to exit our position as the UK & Ireland licensee of Fing!. We have already removed content which features him from our platforms.
The producers have also stated that Walliams will have absolutely “no involvement in the film’s release or promotion”. Because he co-wrote the script based on his own book, Walliams’ name will remain on the writing credits when it released in the US in January next year.
This comes after the comedian was accused of allegedly using his status as a celebrity to prey on vulnerable teenagers and young women for sex. An investigation by ITV and the Guardian claims that he abused his power and position for sexual purposes on a multiple occasions with teenagers as young as 15 as a number of women made new allegations against him. He strongly denies all accusations.
The writer said: “I am not a sexual predator… I have not broken the law. I am devastated that some of the women I met ten to twenty years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.”
He continued: “Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with… I realise I did not always take people’s feelings properly into account.
“That is something I regret. And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did.”
The BBC and Channel 4 have removed TV shows and films that Walliams either wrote or appeared in from their on demand platforms.
Comedy shows Little Britain and Come Fly With Me no longer appear on BBC iPlayer and episodes of The Wheel, Who Do You Think You Are? and Would I Lie To You? featuring Walliams have been removed too, as has a 2011 episode of Doctor Who that he starred in. The films based on his children’s books, such as Gangsta Granny, have also been removed.
Likewise, Channel 4 have removed his 2021 special Chitty Flies Again with David Walliams from their on demand service. They have also made two episodes of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown that he appeared in unavailable to watch.
If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
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