David Walliams is suing Fremantle over a data protection breach (Picture: REX)
Former Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams has reportedly claimed that his Channel 4 project was scrapped after his expletive rant was leaked.
The Little Britain star, 52, is suing FremantleMedia for ‘significant damages’ after he was axed from the programme when an expletive rant he made about a contestant was leaked.
Details from court papers have since allegedly been revealed, with Walliams said to be demanding £10million in damages after claiming that Fremantle Media, the company that distributes BGT, recorded conversations that he believed to be private for 10 years.
In a High Court filing seen by Deadline, Walliams claims that his ‘reputation and earnings have been severely damaged’ as a result of the controversial leak.
The legal document listed offers of work that had been ‘withdrawn,’ including a ‘travelogue across India on Channel 4.’
The publication also claims that the series was said to have been canceled ‘entirely.’
David resigned from BGT after his X-rated rant was leaked. (Picture: REX)
Walliams apologised for the rant and left BGT (Picture: ITV)
Earlier this year, Walliams brought legal action against Fremantle for misuse of private information and for breaching UK General Data Protection Regulation (UKGDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
In a statement, Fremantle told the publication: ’We had a long and productive relationship with David and so are surprised and saddened by this legal action.
‘For our part, we remain available and open to dialogue to resolve this matter amicably. However, in the interim, we will examine the various allegations and are prepared to robustly defend ourselves if necessary.’
He is also accusing the company of causing him psychiatric harm and financial loss in documents seen by the PA News Agency.
The court filing states Walliams believes producers ‘retained transcripts… of everything he said’ during his time on the show and claims the defendant ‘must be the ultimate source of the transcripts’ that were leaked.
According to the documents, Walliams and the other judges on the show would not usually remove their microphones until filming had ended for the day.
The comedian assumed he was only being recorded when contestants were on stage or during behind-the-scenes filming.
Walliams alleges private conversations, including him talking about his struggles with food addiction, his father’s death and his wife leaving him, could have been recorded by the production company.
Metro.co.uk has reached out to Channel 4 and David Walliams’ reps for comment.
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David resigned from BGT after the rant was leaked.