David Walliams has been condemned by the BBC after he allegedly performed a Nazi salute during the recording of hit comedy panel show Would I Lie To You?.
The BBC said the gesture was “completely unacceptable” and apologized to audience members if they were offended by the incident during the filming of a Christmas special. Walliams’ rep has been contacted for comment.
The Times of London, which first reported the story, said Walliams raised his arm to perform the salute as Call The Midwife actress Helen George attempted to convince panelists that she sustained a wrist sprain “from waving too much” during a Strictly Come Dancing tour.
Sebastian Topan, a Times Radio producer who was in the audience, said Little Britain star Walliams twice made the gesture during the recording at Pinewood. “Some other panellist was talking when David Walliams started doing the Nazi salute,” Topan told BBC News. “I was shocked at what I had seen.”
He added that host Rob Brydon “wanted to get past it as quickly as he could,” and Walliams’ gesture did not amuse other Would I Lie To You? players. “It was like an elephant in the room after that as the incident was early on in the recording and so the remainder of the show felt weird,” Topan added.
A spokesperson for Banijay UK, which owns Would I Lie To You? producer Zeppotron, said the footage would be cut from the final show.
“Any attempt at humour regarding this deeply offensive gesture, whether broadcast or not, is completely unacceptable in any context,” the spokesperson said. “It was immediately acknowledged during the recording that this segment would not be broadcast under any circumstances and we apologise to those who were at the recording for any offence caused.”
The BBC said: “The use of such an offensive gesture is completely unacceptable and we apologise to all at the recording for the offence caused.”
Walliams was a Britain’s Got Talent judge for a decade, but a 2022 Guardian newspaper investigation revealed that he made disrespectful comments about two contestants. He later sued and settled with producer Fremantle over the transcript leak to the Guardian.
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