Comedian fears losing work over whistleblowing David Walliams
What's the story
Comedian Lucy Beaumont has expressed concerns about her future in the television industry after she spoke out against alleged inappropriate behavior by fellow comedian David Walliams. Beaumont, 43, told Sky News that a young person working their first job in the industry had approached her three years ago with worries about Walliams's conduct. This person was reportedly required to take young women, who were "definitely" over 16, to Walliams's dressing room.
Allegations
'He felt they were vulnerable'
She revealed, "The thing that struck me about it and that I was very concerned about was that he said they were very working-class girls, and some of them had never been to London before."
"They'd never been around TV. He felt they were vulnerable."
She added, "At the time, he didn't think there was a process, a way to let people know within the TV company what was happening and how he felt."
Whistleblower
'There's no HR department in TV'
Beaumont later revealed that she was one of the people who informed The Guardian about the allegations against Walliams.
She explained her decision by saying, "People are saying - 'Why tell journalists?' There's no HR department in TV. There's no proper duty of care."
"There's no social services that you deal with, and it's partly because the industry is very well managed. There hasn't been a process that you can deal with."
Career fears
'I'll slowly start getting less work'
Beaumont also expressed worries that speaking out could hurt her career.
She said, "I don't think I'll work in [television] again. The reason high-profile people are not saying anything is because they lose work because you're seen as that you might be a trouble causer."
"I'll slowly start getting less work, and because everyone in TV is really well paid, we're all paid really well, no one wants to mess that up."
Denial
Walliams has denied the allegations against him
Walliams has denied the allegations against him.
In a statement to the BBC, he wrote, "Looking back, I realize that at times I behaved thoughtlessly toward other people I had casual sexual relationships with."
"And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something I never did."
The Guardian and ITV News had been investigating Walliams for months before the report finally came out.