David Walliams’ books removed from schools after claims he ‘groomed teenagers’

David Walliams was once one of the UK’s fastest-growing children’s authors.

But schools, including his own alma mater, are now considering removing his hugely popular books in the wake of sexual misconduct and grooming allegations.

The former comedian, 55, was named on Tuesday as the subject of a joint investigation by The Guardian and ITV after unsuccessfully attempting to obtain a High Court injunction to prevent the allegations being made public.

After claims that he was messaging teenage girls and abusing his position of power, books written by Walliams, who denies the allegations against him, have started disappearing from shelves.

Walliams’ childhood school, Collingwood Boys’ School in Wallington, south London, is also now reviewing whether to remove the books from its library.

Retailers are also reconsidering stocking his titles.

The former Britain’s Got Talent judge has written 23 books, which have sold more than 60,000,000 copies and been translated into 55 languages worldwide. They include Gangsta Granny, The Boy in the Dress, Billionaire Boy, and Mr Stink.

Camden in north London confirmed that Walliams’ children’s books would not be on public display in its libraries. The same applies to his memoir, Camp David.

A Camden Council spokesperson said: ‘We are committed to making Camden a safer place for women and girls, to challenging harmful attitudes, and promoting healthy relationships.

‘Following these allegations, we believe the most appropriate action is to remove these books from display.’

However, Kent Council confirmed they had ‘no plans’ to remove Walliams’ titles, saying in a statement: ‘The starting point is that books should be available to readers unless their content is unlawful.

‘Collections are regularly reviewed and refreshed to reflect factors such as reader demand, condition and relevance of stock.’

It comes after allegations in the investigation into Walliams included one from a worker at his former book publisher Harper Collins.

One woman, referred to as Katie, claimed that a young woman showed her a series of ‘gross’ emails from Walliams, while she and another worker alleged managers avoided sending young female staff on their own to his flat.

In 2025 the publisher announced they were dropping Walliams following an internal inquiry two years prior over concerns raised over the author’s conduct. They said they would no longer publish any new titles by him.

In September 2026, HarperCollins officially terminated its entire publishing relationship with Walliams.

In a statement to The Guardian and ITV prior to his named being released as part of the investigation, Walliams denied the allegations against him.

He said: ‘Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with.

‘I realise I did not always take people’s feelings properly into account. That is something I regret. And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did.’

He added: ‘I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law, but I am devastated that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.’