Has David Walliams finally wrecked what was left of his career?

I pasted the context above quoted by an audience member. It was nothing to do with poking fun at Nazi's and was entirely unrelated - they were discussing a female contestant's wrist injury. He also chose to make a sexual gesture.

Also, the point you make may be true, that there was a time when Nazi salutes were acceptable within pisstaking comedy, but times move on. After all, blackface used to be acceptable too.

Especially that terrifyingly sadomasochistic one about a dentist! Took the audiobook on a family trip (SE to Scotland 🤦‍♀️) five years ago and nearly drove off the road when the torture porn started.

He's been offensive since the 90s and the whole "bitty" nonsense. Hates women, and is just a nasty little man.

None of the comedies you mentioned were from the 2000s?

And Little Britain has not aged well. Mocking the disabled, poor, elderly, and regularly using blackface?! Hilarious. 🫤

I can't stand him. There was a thread a while back about how he can be so creepy.
He's a sexist, classist, homophobic, racist, xenophobic, misogynist, ableist fuckhead.

The reason I'm asking is because the OP said:

I do think the sexual gesture is a massive concern - I can't image any man friend I know, or my husband ever making a sexual gesture in so-called jest - it speaks to a mentality which I find entitled and dark.

which makes it sound quite a full on gesture so I was wondering what he must have done - surely not a wanking gesture (which is all I can think of) because that's pretty tame (although inappropriate for DW to do on WILTY).

Call me old fashioned but I like to know what someone has actually said/done before I judge them.

Surely there's no way back for him now on telly?

I'm sure they can create a comedy spot on GB "News" and he can join other kinds of turds.

Not to defend Walliams generally but there was a time when Nazis and Nazi salutes were all over British comedy, with the general recognition that this was mocking Nazism, not supporting it. I don't know what context Walliams chose to make the salutes in, but I am generally inclined to think that making fun of Nazism is one of the best ways to counteract it.

Oh come on!

We’ve been poking fun at nazi salutes for generations now.

Lampooning the nazi regime is a British tradition. See also Allo Allo, Dads Army, Harry Enfield, Fawlty Towers.

No wonder modern comedy is crap- everyone is afraid of causing offence.

Bring back the 2000s!

Ice Monster I think?
It was all
Oooo I did a botty burp.

Complete bottom of the barrel humour. Dreadful.

@Tina294 but in both BGT and WILTY instances he was in a place of work

If someone was sitting in work canteen and being offensive whilst chatting with some work colleagues, do you think that would be okay?

He’s a creep. The BBC have invested a lot in making his books into tv shows. Publishers have made a fortune out of his books, so he’s protected.

There has been lots of reports of his inappropriate behaviour and language, but those in power don’t care because they are making money out of him.

I've never liked him since he was horribly rude and quite cruel to a 16yo old on BGT. The boy was a really, really talented singer and he really destroyed his confidence. I was glad to see an article where the boy went back on a few years later and got the golden buzzer but I've never watched it since because of David Walliams!

What sexual gesture was he making?

@JasmineAllen um isn't that slightly missing the point? Does it matter? Use your imagination? It's pretty easy to guess?

The candle with the handle, gateau from the chateau, the drug in the jug and the pill in the till was comedy gold.

I wonder what his excuse might be. I recall a premier league footballer being photographed doing a Nazi salute and his excuse was that it couldn’t have been a Nazi salute as ‘he’d never heard of Hitler or WW2’ ! Think that appeared on HIGNFY as Ian Hislop indicated that said footballer could only ever have watched 11 episodes of Fawlty Towers.

I’m not sure legally where I would stand posting details…!

Let’s just say, in front of his friends he was very charming but behind closed doors he was very much not.

Believe me, these days you’ll find plenty of people making excuses for Hitler salutes. It’s just how things are now.

Was it The Demon Dentist?

I think he's a creepy weirdo, but his private conversations on BGT were leaked and I think people should be allowed to have private conversations and it not lead to them losing their jobs. I also don't think him doing a stupid nazi style salute would encourage anyone to suddenly decide to become a nazi, I think they could easily have just cut it from the show.

I don't like him but I dislike cancelling people left, right and centre even less.

@Bunniesnotbullies that’s the one, thank you, weird I couldn’t find it on the app!

What sexual gesture was he making?

I also started a thread about this. What is missed from the news headline is that whilst making a Nazi salute repeatedly, he also simultaneously made a "sexual gesture".

To repeat my comment on the other thread, it's appalling, and the headline refers to the Nazi salute which is shocking, but also I do think the sexual gesture is a massive concern - I can't image any man friend I know, or my husband ever making a sexual gesture in so-called jest - it speaks to a mentality which I find entitled and dark.

Has anyone ever some across this man in real life?

AIBU to feel like this is a car crash in slow-motion and one day it will all come out about him? Why oh why are these men constantly employed or given these opportunities (Russell Brand offered similar red flags long before the truth all came out). There must be loads of comedians and performers who would love to go on Would I Lie to You who are NOT obnoxious creeps?

Audience member quoted:
"One part of the show saw Call The Midwife actress Helen George, who took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, being given a prompt to suggest she had sprained her wrist "from waving too much during the Strictly tour".
She then had to try to convince the opposing team that her anecdote was true.
After demonstrating the wave, which purportedly left her with an injury, she was told that it was "too little" and was encouraged to make a bigger gesture.
"Some other panellist was talking when David Walliams started doing the Nazi salute," Topan told the BBC. "I was shocked at what I had seen."
There were "patches of quietened gasps and awkward half-laughs and broken clapping" in the audience, they said.
The show's host, Gavin & Stacey star Rob Brydon, then told Walliams the show would be broadcast before the 9pm watershed, effectively suggesting his behaviour was not suitable for a family TV audience.
However, as the discussion about George's experience continued, Walliams made the gesture again, adding a sexual gesture with his other hand."

Google can often be more productive for MN threads than the MN search function.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5338548-how-is-david-walliams-so-fucking-creepy?page=1

I'm surprised he was on the show, thought he had been pretty much cancelled