HarperCollins Cuts David Walliams' 50 Million-Book Backlist Amid Harassment Allegations
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Nov 10
HarperCollins Cuts David Walliams' 50 Million-Book Backlist Amid Harassment Allegations
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Nov 10
Summary
HarperCollins said in September 2026 it would stop representing David Walliams' back catalogue, meaning copies of his children's books will not be replenished once shops sell out.
The move escalated a December 2025 decision to stop handling new Walliams releases after allegations he harassed female staff; reports said an internal probe led staff to meet him only in pairs and avoid his house.
Walliams, 55, has denied wrongdoing, saying he was never informed of allegations by the publisher and is not a sexual predator or lawbreaker.
Fresh pressure came after a three-year Guardian and ITN investigation alleged he groomed girls as young as 15 and harassed women; a High Court judge refused his bid to block publication.
The publisher break deepens a wider fall for a former Britain's Got Talent judge whose 23 children's books sold more than 50 million copies worldwide.