On the evening of December 26, 2025, British viewers tuning into BBC One for the annual Christmas special of Would I Lie To You? were greeted by the familiar faces of Rob Brydon, Lee Mack, and David Mitchell. But there was an unmistakable tension in the air, one that even the holiday trimmings and the show’s signature banter couldn’t quite disguise. The source? The presence of comedian and bestselling children’s author David Walliams, whose appearance on the panel came amid a maelstrom of controversy and allegations swirling around his personal and professional life.
For many, the night’s episode was already a topic of heated debate long before its 7pm broadcast. According to BBC, bosses had come under mounting pressure to pull the Christmas special featuring Walliams after accusations of harassment surfaced against him. The allegations, which first emerged from an internal HarperCollins investigation that began in 2024, centered on claims that Walliams had harassed junior female employees at the publishing house. One junior colleague’s complaint triggered a wider probe, with several staff members interviewed and at least one woman reportedly receiving a five-figure settlement before leaving the company.
Former HarperCollins employees described a work environment in which they were advised to meet Walliams only in pairs and to avoid visiting his home—hardly the sort of backdrop one expects for the author of more than 40 beloved children’s books. The publisher, now under the leadership of new CEO Kate Elton, ultimately decided in December 2025 to sever ties with Walliams, stating, “After careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams. The author is aware of this decision.”
Walliams, for his part, has strenuously denied any wrongdoing. A spokesperson for the comedian said, “David has never been informed of any allegations raised against him by HarperCollins. He was not party to any investigation or given any opportunity to answer questions. David strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately and is taking legal advice.”
Despite the swirling controversy, the BBC opted to keep Walliams in the Christmas broadcast. A spokesperson for the broadcaster told BBC, “While we’re not making any changes to the festive schedules, we have no future projects directly involving David Walliams.” The network also aired two TV adaptations of his books, Mr Stink and The Boy in The Dress, on CBBC earlier in the week and confirmed that content featuring Walliams would remain available on iPlayer for the time being.
But the night’s awkwardness wasn’t just about off-screen headlines. The Christmas special itself, recorded back in June 2025, had already generated its own storm of controversy. As reported by The Telegraph, Walliams made not one but two Nazi salutes during the taping—gestures that were met with gasps in the studio and an immediate admonishment from host Rob Brydon. “Rob Brydon condemned Walliams and reminded him that the show went out before the watershed,” noted BBC. The second salute, which reportedly included a sexual twist, only added to the discomfort. These moments were ultimately cut from the broadcast, but as one observer put it, “the weird atmosphere still [felt] intact.”
Walliams’s behavior during the episode didn’t stop at controversial gestures. He openly declared his dislike for Christmas and Christmas specials, quipping, “I hate Christmas! I hate the shows [Christmas specials]. They do a show – and they just put in some snow… And they record it in June and we all have to pretend.” Innuendo and awkward jabs peppered his interactions with fellow panellists, with Brydon at one point having to steer the conversation away from Walliams’s antics: “Jools, what do you think? Specifically about what Helen is saying,” he joked to Jools Holland, sidestepping the elephant in the room.
The episode’s line-up, as reported by Shields Gazette, included Helen George and Walliams alongside Lee Mack, while David Mitchell’s team featured Jools Holland and Swarzy Shire. The show, running for 30 minutes, was scheduled for a repeat broadcast on December 29, with a new series set to begin in early January 2026. Yet, for many viewers and critics alike, the Christmas special may well be remembered as Walliams’s final major TV appearance for the foreseeable future. As The Telegraph put it, “It may comfort him to know that this is likely to be his final TV appearance for the foreseeable future (though several adaptations of his books remain in the works).”
Walliams’s fall from grace has been both rapid and public. Once a fixture on British television, his career began to unravel in 2022 when offensive comments he made about female contestants during auditions for Britain’s Got Talent were leaked. The comments, picked up by the show’s microphones, included derogatory language and explicit content. Walliams apologized, calling his remarks “disrespectful” and noting they were part of a private conversation “never intended to be shared.” He subsequently left the show and later sued Fremantle, the production company, for misuse of private information—a case that reportedly ended in a £5 million settlement.
The ripple effects of these scandals have been significant. Walliams’s book sales—once the lifeblood of HarperCollins’s children’s department, accounting for more than 40 percent of its revenue in 2018—have plummeted, dropping by over 60 percent in the summer of 2025. By 2019, the partnership between Walliams and HarperCollins had generated an estimated £100 million in sales, with his works translated into 55 languages and selling more than 60 million copies worldwide. But as of late 2025, the tide has clearly turned.
Meanwhile, Walliams has sought solace far from the British media glare. In the days leading up to the Christmas special’s broadcast, he was spotted enjoying a luxurious holiday in the Maldives with his 12-year-old son, Alfred. According to Daily Mail, Walliams shared a series of sponsored Instagram posts from the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa resort, describing it as his “new favourite place in the world” and “complete and utter perfection.” The resort, where villas can cost as much as $6,105 per night (about £4,563), eagerly reshared his posts, perhaps a rare bit of positive publicity for the embattled star.
Back in the UK, the showbiz world has been quick to distance itself from Walliams. Simon Cowell, the powerhouse behind Britain’s Got Talent, is reportedly no longer on speaking terms with the comedian. Even as adaptations of Walliams’s books continue to find their way onto screens, his own appearances are likely to remain a thing of the past.
For the BBC and its viewers, the 2025 Christmas special of Would I Lie To You? will be remembered less for its festive laughs and more as a snapshot of a career at a crossroads—caught between the lingering echoes of past success and the inescapable consequences of recent scandals.
