Met Police Launch Criminal Investigation Into David Walliams Over Serious Sexual Offence Allegations
The Metropolitan Police has opened a criminal investigation into comedian and children’s author David Walliams over allegations of non-recent serious sexual offences, the force confirmed on Friday 13 November 2026. The announcement came three days after a joint investigation by ITV News and The Guardian named the 55-year-old as the celebrity at the centre of claims of sexual misconduct stretching back more than two decades.
Walliams denies all of the allegations. He has said: “I am not a sexual predator… I have not broken the law.” No arrest has been reported and no charge has been brought. The opening of an investigation is not a finding that any offence took place, and none of the claims against him has been tested in court.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Investigation announced | Friday 13 November 2026, by the Metropolitan Police |
| Subject | David Walliams, 55, comedian and children’s author |
| Allegations under investigation | Non-recent serious sexual offences involving a man now in his 50s |
| Relation to media reports | Separate from the allegations reported by ITV News and The Guardian |
| Officer leading the case | Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney |
| Media investigation published | Tuesday 10 November 2026, by ITV News and The Guardian |
| Walliams’s position | Denies all allegations; no arrest or charge reported |
A separate set of allegations from the newspaper reports
The Metropolitan Police said in its statement on Friday that it “has received a number of allegations of non-recent serious sexual offences involving a man now in his 50s”. The force was careful to draw a line between its own case and the journalism that put Walliams in the headlines this week. The allegations being investigated are separate from those reported by ITV News and The Guardian, although detectives are also examining those published reports for evidence of further criminal offences.
Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney, whose team is leading the investigation, urged anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence to come forward, “no matter when it happened”. The force said reports can be made by calling 101 and quoting the reference 4900/10NOV26, or by contacting its complex sexual offences unit directly.
Three years of reporting, published on 10 November
The Guardian and ITV News published the findings of a three-year joint investigation on Tuesday 10 November 2026, under the title “David Walliams: Power and Silence”. The two organisations said they spoke to more than 100 people during the inquiry and gathered first-hand accounts from 30 women. Several women accused Walliams of using his fame and influence to pursue teenage girls and young women, with the allegations dating back as far as 2003.
One woman said Walliams sexually assaulted her at his London home when she was 15. Others accused him of grooming them as teenagers, and the reports also included allegations that he harassed young female colleagues. The investigation was published a day after comedian Russell Brand was sentenced to more than 10 years in jail for rape and sexual assault, a case that had already put the entertainment industry’s handling of historic allegations under intense scrutiny.
A failed High Court bid to stop publication
Walliams had tried to prevent the investigation from being published at all. He took legal action against Independent Television News, which produces ITV News, and Guardian News and Media, seeking an injunction to stop the outlets from naming him. On 3 November 2026, Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed the claim for a final injunction, ruling that suppressing the allegations would be an exceptionally serious interference with the media’s rights. The judge’s decision was not a ruling on whether the allegations are true, and the court made clear that dismissal did not amount to a finding that they were true.
The appeal deadline expired at 4.30pm on Monday 9 November without an appeal being lodged, and publication followed the next day. In a letter to the journalists, published by The Guardian, Walliams wrote: “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 fallout across broadcasting, books and politics
The consequences for Walliams’s career arrived within hours of publication. His long-time literary agency, Independent Talent Group, said on 10 November that it was “no longer representing him in any capacity”. The BBC described the allegations as serious and began reviewing all material featuring or written by Walliams, removing some programmes from its platforms, including all episodes of Little Britain, the sketch show that made him famous alongside Matt Lucas.
His publisher HarperCollins has said it will no longer publish his work. The Labour Party suspended his membership, and the film Fing!, based on one of his books, was left without a UK distributor. The speed of the fallout underlines how quickly broadcasters, publishers and political parties now move when serious allegations surface, even before any police action is announced.
Who David Walliams is
Walliams, 55, rose to fame in the early 2000s with the BBC sketch comedy Little Britain, created with Matt Lucas, and later co-created Come Fly With Me. He served as a judge on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent from 2012 to 2022 and built a second career as one of Britain’s bestselling children’s authors, with books including Mr Stink, Gangsta Granny and The Boy in the Dress reportedly selling more than 50 million copies worldwide.
The police investigation announced on Friday is now the decisive next step. Detectives are assessing the allegations and the available material, and no timetable has been given for any further action. Until the investigation concludes, the position remains as the Metropolitan Police stated it: a number of allegations have been received, they are being investigated, and no charge has been brought.
Frequently asked questions
Has David Walliams been arrested or charged?
No. As of Saturday 14 November 2026, no arrest and no charge has been reported. The Metropolitan Police has opened a criminal investigation, which means detectives are assessing allegations to establish whether there is evidence of offences.
Are the police investigating the same allegations reported by The Guardian and ITV News?
No. The Metropolitan Police said the allegations it is investigating are separate from those reported by the two news organisations, although detectives are also reviewing those published reports for evidence of possible further offences.
What did the Guardian and ITV News investigation find?
The three-year joint investigation, published on 10 November 2026, gathered first-hand accounts from 30 women and included interviews with more than 100 people. It reported allegations of sexual misconduct and grooming dating back to 2003, including an account of sexual assault when one woman was 15. Walliams denies all of the allegations.
What has happened to David Walliams’s career since the reports?
His literary agency, Independent Talent Group, dropped him on 10 November. The BBC is reviewing and removing programmes featuring him, including Little Britain. His publisher HarperCollins has said it will no longer publish his work, the Labour Party suspended his membership, and the film Fing! lost its UK distributor.
What should someone do if they believe they were affected?
Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney urged anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence to come forward, no matter when it happened. Reports can be made by calling 101 and quoting reference 4900/10NOV26, or by contacting the Metropolitan Police’s complex sexual offences unit.
