Footage of Jonathan Ross making a controversial joke about David Walliams and 15-year-olds at the 2004 British Comedy Awards has resurfaced as the comedian faces multiple allegations of sexual misconduct involving young women and teenage girls.
Walliams, best known for creating and starring in Little Britain alongside Matt Lucas, was filmed laughing at the remark, which Ross delivered during the awards ceremony in December 2004.
The resurfaced footage comes after Walliams was identified as the celebrity who unsuccessfully attempted to prevent media organisations from publishing allegations against him.
Jonathan Ross Made the Joke During the 2004 Comedy Awards
Ross made the remark while presenting an award at the ceremony, where Little Britain received the Best TV Comedy award.
Addressing the audience, he joked: “The comedy awards is 15 years old – 15 years old!
And like most 15-year-olds, it’s drunk, it’s unpredictable and it’s probably going home with David Walliams.”
Walliams, who was wearing a black dinner jacket and bow tie, appeared to laugh at the comment.
Responding through his lawyers, Ross said he had not written the joke himself and had simply delivered it during the ceremony.
Walliams Faces Allegations Involving Teenage Girls
The resurfaced clip comes as several women have accused Walliams of sexually inappropriate behaviour, including allegations involving girls who were underage when they first came into contact with him.
One woman, identified as Jade, told ITV News and The Guardian that Walliams contacted her through MySpace in 2007 when she was 15.
She alleged that after exchanging messages, they arranged to meet in Soho, London, in August of that year.
According to her account, Walliams later took her to his home, where she claims he sexually assaulted her.
Jade said the comedian kissed her during their first meeting and subsequently invited her to his property.
She alleged that he touched her sexually despite her unwillingness.
She described the experience as sexual assault and grooming, adding that she had previously told him about being sexually abused as a child.
Walliams has denied the allegations.
Another Woman Describes Their Relationship
A second woman, identified as Alex, alleged that Walliams first approached her when she was 15 after meeting her at a Little Britain fan event.
She said he offered to help with her writing and began communicating with her through emails and telephone calls.
According to Alex, their communication eventually included requests for photographs, which she claimed became increasingly explicit.
She alleged that Walliams pressured her to send pictures of herself in underwear and later naked.
Alex said their sexual relationship began when she was 17 and Walliams was 34.
She described their encounters as uncomfortable and said she felt unable to express her boundaries.
Walliams disputed her account, saying he believed she was 18 when they had sex.
He also said he was mortified to learn that their brief relationship, which he described as consensual, had caused her sadness.
Other Women Have Come Forward With Allegations
Additional women have described encounters with Walliams during his years as a television personality and judge on Britain’s Got Talent.
A woman named Sarah said she was 18 when she was invited to watch the talent show being filmed.
She alleged that Walliams later invited her and a friend to his home, where he attempted to kiss her after serving them wine.
Sarah said she rejected his advances and reminded him that she had a boyfriend.
Another woman, Abby Tomlinson, claimed Walliams contacted her through Twitter when she was 17 and invited her to his dressing room.
She said she attended with a 13-year-old friend and that other teenagers were also present.
Walliams’s lawyers maintained that the dressing-room door remained open throughout the visit, a claim Abby disputed.
A former junior employee at Britain’s Got Talent also alleged that he entered Walliams’s dressing room and found two very young people inside while the comedian was wearing only a towel.
Walliams denied attempting to buy the employee’s silence after giving him £300 at the end of the series.
Publisher and Television Industry Respond to Allegations
The allegations have also raised questions about Walliams’s professional relationships.
HarperCollins, his former publisher, previously announced that it would no longer publish new books by the author following allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards junior female employees.
Some former employees reportedly said young female staff were advised not to visit his home alone, with arrangements made for them to attend in pairs.
The publisher said it takes employee wellbeing seriously and has procedures for reporting and investigating concerns.
Fremantle UK, the production company behind Britain’s Got Talent, said it had not received complaints about Walliams during his time on the programme or in the four years since his departure.
ITV also issued a statement expressing concern about the allegations and explaining that Fremantle was responsible for the programme’s day-to-day production arrangements.
The BBC, meanwhile, confirmed that it was reviewing material featuring or written by Walliams and was in the process of removing some programmes, including Little Britain, from its platforms.
His talent agency, ITG, has also dropped him.
Walliams Loses Legal Battle to Prevent Publication
Walliams previously approached the High Court in an attempt to stop media organisations from publishing the allegations.
His legal team argued that revealing his identity would put his life at risk, claiming that publication could lead him to take his own life.
The court heard that he had allegedly attempted suicide twice after learning about the allegations.
However, Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed the application, ruling that preventing publication would pose a serious threat to freedom of expression.
ITN and The Guardian had reportedly interviewed more than 100 people as part of their investigation, including 30 individuals who provided first-hand accounts.
Walliams did not appeal the decision before the deadline, allowing the media organisations to identify him publicly.
Downing Street subsequently described the allegations made by multiple women as deeply troubling.
The Labour Party also suspended him as a member.
Walliams Issues Denial and Expresses Regret
In a statement to ITV News and The Guardian, Walliams rejected accusations that he had abused his position as a celebrity to exploit women.
He acknowledged that he had sometimes behaved thoughtlessly in casual sexual relationships and said he regretted not always considering other people’s feelings.
He added that while a power imbalance could exist when one person was famous, he had never abused that position.
Walliams maintained that he was not a sexual predator and had not broken the law.
He also said he was devastated that some women he had encountered between 10 and 20 years ago had since expressed hurt or anger towards him.
Previous Controversies Involving the Comedian
The latest allegations come amid a series of controversies involving Walliams over the years.
In 2006, footage from a Little Britain stage performance showed him pulling down the trousers and underwear of a 16-year-old male volunteer during a sketch called Hide the Sausage.
Walliams later defended the performance as comedy.
In 2018, he apologised after hosting the Presidents Club charity dinner at London’s Dorchester Hotel, where an undercover investigation exposed inappropriate behaviour towards female hospitality staff.
Walliams was not accused of personally harassing the women.
His decade-long role as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent ended in 2022 following the disclosure of crude and sexually explicit comments he had made about contestants during recording breaks.
He later apologised and sued the programme’s producers over the leaked transcript.
The case was settled out of court.
In June 2025, the BBC reprimanded him after he performed Nazi salutes during a recording of Would I Lie To You? The broadcaster described the gesture as completely unacceptable.
HarperCollins subsequently ended its publishing relationship with him, bringing an almost 20-year association to an end.
Walliams, whose books include Gangsta Granny, Mr Stink and Ratburger, has sold more than 60 million copies worldwide. He continues to deny the allegations of sexual misconduct.
