Labour has suspended television personality David Walliams as a party member, it is understood, after he was named as the celebrity accused of sexual misconduct against multiple women.

The production company behind Britain’s Got Talent has said it is “disturbed and concerned” over the allegations made by the and ITV.

A spokesperson for Fremantle UK said: “We are disturbed and concerned at these serious allegations. David Walliams has not been a judge on Britain’s Got Talent for more than four years.

“During his time on the show and in the intervening period, no complaint was ever made regarding his behaviour to Fremantle UK. If anyone feels they have been the subject of any impropriety or wrongdoing by anyone on any Fremantle or associated labels’ productions, we encourage them to come forward.

“We will treat any complaints seriously. Protecting the welfare of our employees, freelancers, contributors and fans has always been and absolutely remains paramount for the company.”

Several sources alleged inappropriate behaviour towards women at both the prime-time show Britain’s Got Talent (BGT), where Walliams served as a judge, and his publisher HarperCollins.

One woman, named by ITV and the Guardian as Jade, said she was 15 and Walliams was 36 when they met in August 2007 and he invited her back to his house. She said she considers what she says happened to her there to have been “sexual assault” and “grooming”, adding: “It’s completely wrong in every way.”

Another woman, named by the news organisations as Alex, met Walliams aged 15 and alleged she was having sex with Walliams by the time she was 17.

Asked how she feels about him now, she said: “I think I was groomed. 100 per cent.”

Walliams told the publications he believed she was 18 at the time they had sex. His lawyers say the suggestion he groomed Alex is false and has caused him significant distress.

The comedian and former judge, previously described as a “well-known man”, brought legal action against Independent Television News (ITN), which produces news programmes for ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5, and Guardian News and Media (GNM), publisher of The Guardian.

Lawyers for the media organisations previously told the High Court in London the allegations they want to report involve his alleged “abuse of power and status” to contact young women and try to engage in “inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities”, but the man sought an injunction because of a risk he would take his own life, after two previous suicide attempts.

Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed the injunction bid on 3 November.

Here, we look at the series of events leading up to the ruling.

One of the women who has made allegations against David Walliams has been shown in a picture with fellow celebrities Ricky Gervais and Jonathan Ross at a 2003 charity event.

Lilly Creightmore told she first encountered Walliams after attending the filming of Little Britain, where she noticed the comedian “staring intently” at her from the side of the stage.

She met him again at a show inside an Agenct Provocateur store.

Ms Creightmore, then an aspiring photographer, claimed Walliams would buy her books, take her to celebrity-packed parties and introduce her to artists she admired.

At the time she was 18, and he was 32.

She stayed with him for a couple of weeks in late 2003 and slept on the sofa. She claimed to The Guardian that he would “plead with him to share a bed with him and, you know, paw at me”.

Ms Creightmore toldthat she now considers Walliams’ behaviour “highly inappropriate”.

She said: “He was pursuing me, you know, at a vulnerable age and place in my life, for sexual gratification.”

Lawyers for Walliams say he denies grooming Ms Creightmore or behaving inappropriately and that he did not target her because she was vulnerable or young, nor did he manipulate or coerce her into sleeping with him.

They say the gifts and offers to help her came with no expectations. They say he had understood their friendship, which lasted for about five years, to be special.

The 55-year-old rose to fame writing and starring in BBC sketch show Little Britain with Matt Lucas.

The show first aired in 2003 and was known for its controversial sense of humour, running for three series until 2006, with a number of specials following.

During a stage show of Little Britain in 2006, Walliams was known to perform an act called Hide The Sausage, where he performed as a former children’s entertainer and sex offender named Des Kaye, which saw him touch and pull down the trousers of audience members and attempt to kiss them.

The pair also wrote Little Britain USA, which aired in 2008, and would go on to write BBC airport mockumentary Come Fly With Me, a play on documentaries such as Airport and Airline, which aired in 2010 and featured a similar style of comedy to Little Britain.

In 2020, Little Britain was pulled from various UK streaming services due to its use of blackface.

The show was also criticised for its portrayal of black women by white men.

Walliams sported black make-up and a large afro wig to play the overweight black woman Desiree DeVere.

Independent Talent Group, the agency that used to represent David Walliams, has released a statement.

"ITG is deeply disturbed by the allegations concerning David Walliams. Our thoughts are with anyone who has been affected.

“We are no longer representing him in any capacity," a spokesperson says.

Readers of this story may find certain details upsetting or distressing.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI) or visit the website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.If you are in another country, you can go to befrienders.org to find a helpline near you

David Walliams reportedly told his friend that he was a “sex addict”, which he also discussed in his autobiography.

The Guardian reports that a former friend, who they have named Ben, had thought Walliams as an “old-fashioned romantic” in his pursuit of women, but is now concerned that women may have felt uncomfortable with his attention.

Ben told the newspaper: “See a woman, think she’s attractive, find out how to contact her, send her flowers via that contact asking her out to dinner. Take her out for dinner, invite her back to yours. If she doesn’t come, be sad. Phone her every day until she agrees that the next time she will come.”

He said the comedian had informed him he was a sex addict.

In his book, Walliams wrote: “I thought sex could take away my sadness,” Walliams wrote. “However, it just made it worse. And I sank lower and lower into despair. I had become a sex addict.”

David Walliams left his role as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent (BGT), which he had appeared on since 2012, after he was found to have made sexually explicit and derogatory remarks towards some of the contestants.

BGT producer Fremantle apologised to and reached an “amicable resolution” with Walliams after the remarks he made while on the show were leaked, and the star apologised for the “disrespectful comments”.

Walliams said: “I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain’s Got Talent in 2020.

“These were private conversations and – like most conversations with friends – were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry.”

It came after Walliams filed a lawsuit alleging that the release of a recording of him making the comments breached data protection regulations.

The lawsuit also accused the company of causing him psychiatric harm and financial loss.