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To tell you all that David Walliams has been dropped by his publisher Harper Collins?

270 replies

hotmumshit · 18/09/2026 14:19

What else is there to come out about this guy?!

OP posts:
NotAnotherScarf · 18/09/2026 17:12

He has always made my skin crawl. Some parts of little Britain were very rubbish and well observed...mainly Matt Lucas' bits.

I think HC realise that his books aren't selling well, they are worth reprint but most of all they are worried something else is going to come out about him and they are pre-emptiving it

ShutupLwren · 18/09/2026 17:13

believeinbelieve · 18/09/2026 16:54

The worst one for me was the woman who was incontinent of urine - that was the whole joke, her being incontinent everywhere.

Horrible.

I can’t believe anyone was stupid enough to laugh at it, it just wasn’t funny. Saying that I absolutely hated and still do comedy that mocks people.
But the pissing woman really grim. I don’t think I’m mistaken but they did a black woman character didn’t they? Arseholes.

BrezhnevsLuxuriantEyebrows · 18/09/2026 17:14

Whilst I'm not in a position to accuse Walliams of anything criminal at all, I think it's interesting that, just like Jimmy Savile, DW seems to have long gloried in hiding in plain sight as a caricature of a massive creep... and it transpires that he does indeed appear to be a massive creep in real life.

Redheadedstepchild · 18/09/2026 17:14

Can you imagine a Graham Norton show with David Walliams, Miriam Margolyes and Dawn French in baby voice mode all on the sofa together?

The United Nations would step in to ban wicked dictatorships playing it on loop to captured British spies to try to get them to confess.

"A cruel and unusual punishment"

PollyNomial · 18/09/2026 17:18

Daygloboo · 18/09/2026 17:07

Gary Glitter wasnt so much artist as wanker

His many victims would beg to differ on that claim...

Naunet · 18/09/2026 17:20

LeaderBee · 18/09/2026 16:01

Liking leader of the gang and saying you support what Gary did are two separate things, and while Gary's music is a bit outside of my taste, if it was an artist whose music i liked then yeah, sure, why not?

Disney created song of the south and many other racist cariacatures, but he and his legacy still endures as one of the most loved companies worldwide.

I can't stand people who indulge in performative activism.

Edited

Separating the art from the artist is rather different when they're dead. If the person is still alive, you're supporting their career, so there is no real seperation. Some of us would rather not line the pockets of rapists and child abusers (not claiming DW is either).

BrezhnevsLuxuriantEyebrows · 18/09/2026 17:21

ShutupLwren · 18/09/2026 17:13

I can’t believe anyone was stupid enough to laugh at it, it just wasn’t funny. Saying that I absolutely hated and still do comedy that mocks people.
But the pissing woman really grim. I don’t think I’m mistaken but they did a black woman character didn’t they? Arseholes.

To be fair, I think there were a number of sketches that were quite amusing and not aiming punches at any vulnerable group - such as the hotelier who kept saying "Yeeeeeeesss!!", the romance writer who might have borne a slight resemblance to Barbara Cartland, 'Computer says No', Dennis Waterman, the terrible hypnotist and a few others... but as a whole, there were far too many (well, one would be far too many) really nasty, hugely-problematic low-blows.

erssie · 18/09/2026 17:37

You can't separate art from the artist really. Because often the proceeds from their art is used to do harmful things. Millions of HP fans will continue to enjoy JK Rowling's books, franchises, theme parks and merch. JK admitted that she has donated and backed a change in the law by taking a case to the supreme Court that defines only a woman is a real woman if born with that biological sex. Sounds harmless doesnt it? Many trans women agree that their biological birth sex and chromosomes which can't be changed (even if other biological characteristics can be changed) are indeed male at birth whilst they are living as a woman now. But that definition hard baked into law means many trans women can be refused a place in a women's space. Yet neither are trans women safe in men''s spaces like gym changing rooms where they can be stared at, ogled, attacked or ridiculed. Trans women are women. Some trans women these days never developed as an adult male through puberty, they have been girls for a long time and forcing them into men' a spaces is shocking and not safe.

JK has abhorrent and discriminatory views on trans people, non binary people and now asexual people (What's wrong with not having a sex drive or sexual relationships? That's not a choice either) and those who separate her from her art are ignoring the fact that the millions in her revenue are being ploughed back in to support legislation that can be prejudicial to minority groups that she decides should not have the same freedoms as others.

What has the author David Walliams done with the proceeds of those buying his books I wonder. And can we stop him using his book revenue to do sleazy things we wouldn't approve of? Probably not. So why fund it? And how will our own kids feel when they grow up and find out that we were happy to give them books they enjoy without any discerning nature towards authors?

As a child I had a stuffed Golly. I didn't even know what it depicted until I grew up and found my Nan watching the Black & White minstrel show on telly. If my Mum had realised it was such a racist doll she wouldn't have let my Nan buy one for me. But parents considered it harmless and was "just a nice toy and the baby doesn't know it's racist, why not let the babe enjoy a Golly!) Patons Yarns Bazaar booklet even had a knitting pattern for a Golly featured on their cover. You can't separate that type of doll from it's complex and racist history. You can't separate the art from the artists.

GCScot · 18/09/2026 17:50

erssie · 18/09/2026 17:37

You can't separate art from the artist really. Because often the proceeds from their art is used to do harmful things. Millions of HP fans will continue to enjoy JK Rowling's books, franchises, theme parks and merch. JK admitted that she has donated and backed a change in the law by taking a case to the supreme Court that defines only a woman is a real woman if born with that biological sex. Sounds harmless doesnt it? Many trans women agree that their biological birth sex and chromosomes which can't be changed (even if other biological characteristics can be changed) are indeed male at birth whilst they are living as a woman now. But that definition hard baked into law means many trans women can be refused a place in a women's space. Yet neither are trans women safe in men''s spaces like gym changing rooms where they can be stared at, ogled, attacked or ridiculed. Trans women are women. Some trans women these days never developed as an adult male through puberty, they have been girls for a long time and forcing them into men' a spaces is shocking and not safe.

JK has abhorrent and discriminatory views on trans people, non binary people and now asexual people (What's wrong with not having a sex drive or sexual relationships? That's not a choice either) and those who separate her from her art are ignoring the fact that the millions in her revenue are being ploughed back in to support legislation that can be prejudicial to minority groups that she decides should not have the same freedoms as others.

What has the author David Walliams done with the proceeds of those buying his books I wonder. And can we stop him using his book revenue to do sleazy things we wouldn't approve of? Probably not. So why fund it? And how will our own kids feel when they grow up and find out that we were happy to give them books they enjoy without any discerning nature towards authors?

As a child I had a stuffed Golly. I didn't even know what it depicted until I grew up and found my Nan watching the Black & White minstrel show on telly. If my Mum had realised it was such a racist doll she wouldn't have let my Nan buy one for me. But parents considered it harmless and was "just a nice toy and the baby doesn't know it's racist, why not let the babe enjoy a Golly!) Patons Yarns Bazaar booklet even had a knitting pattern for a Golly featured on their cover. You can't separate that type of doll from it's complex and racist history. You can't separate the art from the artists.

I disagree with you entirely about JK Rowling.

She is not transphobic, she is a feminist protecting women's rights. As a survivor of domestic abuse she realises that women need single-sex spaces when they are naked and/or vulnerable, and she has poured millions of her own money into funding charities for women and children.

And 'transwomen' are not women. A man does not become a woman by wanting to be one, dressing as one, taking artificial oestrogen or having extreme surgical modifications. It is an insult to women to claim that womanhood can be put on like a costume at will.

Anyway, sorry for derailing, I couldn't pass that by without comment

HJBeans · 18/09/2026 17:52

neverbeenskiing · 18/09/2026 16:06

Good. Rumours about him being a creep aside, those books are just terrible. Poorly written and full of unpleasant stereotypes.

Exactly this. He’s vile and some of that vileness is in the books in the form of lazy sneery stereotypes which play on people’s differences for a joke. I hate that this is normalised for kids in this way.

GameOfJones · 18/09/2026 17:52

Well said @GCScot 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 JK Rowling is an incredible woman that stands up for women's rights despite the death and rape threats she receives. She is an absolute heroine!

GCScot · 18/09/2026 17:54

Just to add - JK Rowling did not back "a change to the law". The 2025 Supreme Court judgement clarified that the law as it already stands defines 'woman' and 'man' by biology

BridasShieldWall · 18/09/2026 17:58

Well said @GCScot also. Transwomen aren’t women and no women should have their consent overridden and be forced to share their sex single spaces with men however they identify.

Also in response to erssie the Supreme Court judgement did not change the law, it stated the law as it always had been. Trans people are still protected by anti discrimination legislation and have the same rights as others - they just don’t have additional rights to access spaces reserved for the opposite sex.

ilovesooty · 18/09/2026 18:02

believeinbelieve · 18/09/2026 16:17

He doesn't seem like a nice person.

Saw him on Michael McIntyre's Wheel thing a while back and he came across very badly, I thought.

I didn't like Little Britain either - a few funny moments (son used to watch it as a teenager) but overall left a nasty taste. Very teenage boy humour in general and a few sketches were really unpleasant.

I didn't think he was funny on TV and have never read anything he's written. It appears his books aren't very good. If he's been dropped I doubt it's very momentous or much of a loss.

AlwaysExtraHot · 18/09/2026 18:05

erssie · 18/09/2026 17:37

You can't separate art from the artist really. Because often the proceeds from their art is used to do harmful things. Millions of HP fans will continue to enjoy JK Rowling's books, franchises, theme parks and merch. JK admitted that she has donated and backed a change in the law by taking a case to the supreme Court that defines only a woman is a real woman if born with that biological sex. Sounds harmless doesnt it? Many trans women agree that their biological birth sex and chromosomes which can't be changed (even if other biological characteristics can be changed) are indeed male at birth whilst they are living as a woman now. But that definition hard baked into law means many trans women can be refused a place in a women's space. Yet neither are trans women safe in men''s spaces like gym changing rooms where they can be stared at, ogled, attacked or ridiculed. Trans women are women. Some trans women these days never developed as an adult male through puberty, they have been girls for a long time and forcing them into men' a spaces is shocking and not safe.

JK has abhorrent and discriminatory views on trans people, non binary people and now asexual people (What's wrong with not having a sex drive or sexual relationships? That's not a choice either) and those who separate her from her art are ignoring the fact that the millions in her revenue are being ploughed back in to support legislation that can be prejudicial to minority groups that she decides should not have the same freedoms as others.

What has the author David Walliams done with the proceeds of those buying his books I wonder. And can we stop him using his book revenue to do sleazy things we wouldn't approve of? Probably not. So why fund it? And how will our own kids feel when they grow up and find out that we were happy to give them books they enjoy without any discerning nature towards authors?

As a child I had a stuffed Golly. I didn't even know what it depicted until I grew up and found my Nan watching the Black & White minstrel show on telly. If my Mum had realised it was such a racist doll she wouldn't have let my Nan buy one for me. But parents considered it harmless and was "just a nice toy and the baby doesn't know it's racist, why not let the babe enjoy a Golly!) Patons Yarns Bazaar booklet even had a knitting pattern for a Golly featured on their cover. You can't separate that type of doll from it's complex and racist history. You can't separate the art from the artists.

Gosh, imagine being stared at, ogled, or attacked 🙄

DeftGoldHedgehog · 18/09/2026 18:07

He was inappropriate in plain sight on BGT. Such a bully.

Dadalus · 18/09/2026 18:22

@erssie
If you're going to post about the crimes of JKR on mumsnet of all places, you should probably try and get at least some of the details correct. Or is this a skit of you being a Little Britain character?

I have no idea whether the allegations made against DW are true or not, but IMO his comedy shows have been pretty funny, including some of the shocking and controversial parts - but comedy is subjective.

AgentPidge · 18/09/2026 18:27

erssie · 18/09/2026 17:37

You can't separate art from the artist really. Because often the proceeds from their art is used to do harmful things. Millions of HP fans will continue to enjoy JK Rowling's books, franchises, theme parks and merch. JK admitted that she has donated and backed a change in the law by taking a case to the supreme Court that defines only a woman is a real woman if born with that biological sex. Sounds harmless doesnt it? Many trans women agree that their biological birth sex and chromosomes which can't be changed (even if other biological characteristics can be changed) are indeed male at birth whilst they are living as a woman now. But that definition hard baked into law means many trans women can be refused a place in a women's space. Yet neither are trans women safe in men''s spaces like gym changing rooms where they can be stared at, ogled, attacked or ridiculed. Trans women are women. Some trans women these days never developed as an adult male through puberty, they have been girls for a long time and forcing them into men' a spaces is shocking and not safe.

JK has abhorrent and discriminatory views on trans people, non binary people and now asexual people (What's wrong with not having a sex drive or sexual relationships? That's not a choice either) and those who separate her from her art are ignoring the fact that the millions in her revenue are being ploughed back in to support legislation that can be prejudicial to minority groups that she decides should not have the same freedoms as others.

What has the author David Walliams done with the proceeds of those buying his books I wonder. And can we stop him using his book revenue to do sleazy things we wouldn't approve of? Probably not. So why fund it? And how will our own kids feel when they grow up and find out that we were happy to give them books they enjoy without any discerning nature towards authors?

As a child I had a stuffed Golly. I didn't even know what it depicted until I grew up and found my Nan watching the Black & White minstrel show on telly. If my Mum had realised it was such a racist doll she wouldn't have let my Nan buy one for me. But parents considered it harmless and was "just a nice toy and the baby doesn't know it's racist, why not let the babe enjoy a Golly!) Patons Yarns Bazaar booklet even had a knitting pattern for a Golly featured on their cover. You can't separate that type of doll from it's complex and racist history. You can't separate the art from the artists.

You can't be serious about JK Rowling? She just stands up for common sense on behalf of the rest of us (women).

Livelovebehappy · 18/09/2026 18:30

11AndCounting · 18/09/2026 15:09

He was complicit in creating Little Britain.

That doesn’t mean anything. Back when it was out there, behaviour displayed by the characters was accepted generally as the norm. A lot of programs from early generations wouldn’t make it to TV in the here and now.

BinturongsSmellOfPopcorn · 18/09/2026 18:32

Livelovebehappy · 18/09/2026 18:30

That doesn’t mean anything. Back when it was out there, behaviour displayed by the characters was accepted generally as the norm. A lot of programs from early generations wouldn’t make it to TV in the here and now.

It wasn't at all. It's not that old. Sexism and mocking disabled people were not acceptable behaviours, and blacking up was widely frowned on. They did it because it was shocking.

Livelovebehappy · 18/09/2026 18:33

erssie · 18/09/2026 17:37

You can't separate art from the artist really. Because often the proceeds from their art is used to do harmful things. Millions of HP fans will continue to enjoy JK Rowling's books, franchises, theme parks and merch. JK admitted that she has donated and backed a change in the law by taking a case to the supreme Court that defines only a woman is a real woman if born with that biological sex. Sounds harmless doesnt it? Many trans women agree that their biological birth sex and chromosomes which can't be changed (even if other biological characteristics can be changed) are indeed male at birth whilst they are living as a woman now. But that definition hard baked into law means many trans women can be refused a place in a women's space. Yet neither are trans women safe in men''s spaces like gym changing rooms where they can be stared at, ogled, attacked or ridiculed. Trans women are women. Some trans women these days never developed as an adult male through puberty, they have been girls for a long time and forcing them into men' a spaces is shocking and not safe.

JK has abhorrent and discriminatory views on trans people, non binary people and now asexual people (What's wrong with not having a sex drive or sexual relationships? That's not a choice either) and those who separate her from her art are ignoring the fact that the millions in her revenue are being ploughed back in to support legislation that can be prejudicial to minority groups that she decides should not have the same freedoms as others.

What has the author David Walliams done with the proceeds of those buying his books I wonder. And can we stop him using his book revenue to do sleazy things we wouldn't approve of? Probably not. So why fund it? And how will our own kids feel when they grow up and find out that we were happy to give them books they enjoy without any discerning nature towards authors?

As a child I had a stuffed Golly. I didn't even know what it depicted until I grew up and found my Nan watching the Black & White minstrel show on telly. If my Mum had realised it was such a racist doll she wouldn't have let my Nan buy one for me. But parents considered it harmless and was "just a nice toy and the baby doesn't know it's racist, why not let the babe enjoy a Golly!) Patons Yarns Bazaar booklet even had a knitting pattern for a Golly featured on their cover. You can't separate that type of doll from it's complex and racist history. You can't separate the art from the artists.

🙄 typical trans fan trying to shoehorn trans issues into every conversation. Women are women, men are men. There’s nothing in between.

FancyBiscuitsLevel · 18/09/2026 18:37

why now?

I assume there must be more revelations to come and they are getting ahead of the scandal. (if so, David Walliams might be very lucky in his timing, the Charles Spencer book revelations are going to be filling the news cycle this weekend and he should get off lightly.)

That or they’ve continued to sell his old books until they’ve got rid of their old stock. Nothing like being practical and avoid pulping saleable stock.

believeinbelieve · 18/09/2026 18:40

Livelovebehappy · 18/09/2026 18:30

That doesn’t mean anything. Back when it was out there, behaviour displayed by the characters was accepted generally as the norm. A lot of programs from early generations wouldn’t make it to TV in the here and now.

It was in the 2000s! Not the 1950s. A lot of people found it offensive at the time.

PollyNomial · 18/09/2026 18:40

BinturongsSmellOfPopcorn · 18/09/2026 18:32

It wasn't at all. It's not that old. Sexism and mocking disabled people were not acceptable behaviours, and blacking up was widely frowned on. They did it because it was shocking.

Agreed. I saw people suspended from my school in the late 80s/90s for doing the sort of racial "comedy" they did. (They didn't mean it as a joke but it was just as funny as DW/ML)