David Walliams Cut From “Fing!” as Sky Exits UK Distribution After Misconduct Allegations

admin · November 12, 2026 · 6 min read

An empty cinema auditorium with a glowing screen and a film clapperboard, illustrating the film Fing! losing its star and UK distributor.

David Walliams has been cut from Fing!, the family film based on his own children’s book, and Sky has withdrawn as the film’s distributor in the UK and Ireland, days after a joint Guardian and ITV News investigation published serious allegations of sexual misconduct against the comedian and author. The film will still be released in the United States, but Walliams will play no part in it.

The moves, confirmed in statements to Variety and Deadline this week, are the most direct professional consequences yet for the 55-year-old former Britain’s Got Talent judge since the investigation was published on Tuesday, November 10.

Producers remove Walliams’ cameo

The producers of Fing! said they had removed Walliams’ cameo appearance from the film entirely and that he would have no involvement in its release or promotion.

“We take the allegations reported regarding David Walliams seriously,” the producers said in a statement carried by Variety and Deadline. “Our thoughts are with anyone who has been affected. We have removed his cameo appearance from Fing!, and he will have no involvement in the film’s release or promotion.”

Walliams co-wrote the screenplay with Kevin Cecil and had filmed a cameo in the family fantasy, which is adapted from his 2019 children’s book of the same name. The film, directed by Jeffrey Walker and shot in Australia, stars Mia Wasikowska, Blake Harrison, Taika Waititi and Penelope Wilton, with Walliams’ Little Britain co-creator Matt Lucas voicing the title character.

Sky pulls out of UK and Ireland release

Sky, which had acquired the film for release in the UK and Ireland in early 2027 as a Sky Original, said it was leaving the project altogether and had already begun removing Walliams’ work from its platforms.

“The allegations made against David Walliams are extremely serious,” a Sky spokesperson said. “We have notified the producers of the film of our intention to exit our position as the UK and Ireland licensee of Fing! We have already removed content which features him from our platforms.”

Fing! premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2026. With Sky gone, the film has no distributor named for the UK and Ireland, and its release there is now uncertain.

US release goes ahead without him

In the United States, distributor Angel Studios is pressing ahead with the film’s release in January 2027, but without Walliams. The company confirmed his scenes have been removed and that he will take no part in the film’s marketing or promotion.

In Australia, streaming service Stan has removed Fing! from its content slate, while theatrical distributor Transmission Films has said its planned Australian cinema release on January 14, 2027 will go ahead. International sales are being handled by AGC, which is continuing talks with buyers at the American Film Market, according to Deadline.

The investigation behind the fallout

The decisions follow a joint investigation by the Guardian and ITV News, published on November 10 after Walliams lost a High Court bid to prevent it from appearing. The three-year investigation, based on conversations with more than 100 people, reported allegations that Walliams used his fame to groom teenage girls and young women for sex, with claims dating back to 2003. Several of the women who spoke to the investigation said they were as young as 15 when they first encountered him.

Walliams has denied the allegations. “I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law,” he has said through his representatives. No police investigation or criminal charges have been reported.

The fallout had already begun before the film decisions. His publisher HarperCollins dropped him in December 2025, Alton Towers closed its World of David Walliams attraction earlier this month, and the Labour Party suspended his membership on Tuesday.

Why this matters

Walliams is one of Britain’s most successful children’s authors, and Fing! was his latest attempt to turn one of his books into a family film franchise. The speed with which the producers and Sky moved — cutting his scenes and abandoning a completed film’s UK release within a day of the investigation’s publication — shows how quickly broadcasters and studios are now distancing themselves from accused figures, even before any legal process begins. It follows a similar pattern of swift industry consequences seen when Russell Brand was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison for rape and sexual assault earlier this week.

For audiences, the split outcome is unusual: American viewers will still be able to see the film in cinemas in January, minus its author, while British and Irish viewers have, for now, no way to watch it at all.

Latest developments

The situation around the film’s distribution is still moving. AGC is continuing to sell the film internationally, and no replacement UK or Ireland distributor has been announced. Walliams’ representatives have not commented publicly on the removal of his cameo or Sky’s decision.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Why was David Walliams cut from Fing!?

A: The film’s producers said they took the allegations reported about Walliams seriously and decided to remove his cameo appearance. He will have no involvement in the film’s release or promotion.

Q: Is Fing! cancelled?

A: No. The film is still scheduled for release in the United States in January 2027 through Angel Studios, and in Australia through Transmission Films. Only the UK and Ireland release, previously handled by Sky, is now uncertain.

Q: What did Sky say about Fing!?

A: Sky said the allegations against Walliams were “extremely serious” and that it had notified the producers of its intention to exit as the UK and Ireland licensee. It has also removed content featuring Walliams from its platforms.

Q: Has David Walliams been charged with anything?

A: No. The allegations against him have not resulted in any reported police investigation or criminal charges. Walliams denies the allegations and says he has not broken the law.

Walliams’ removal from Fing! and Sky’s exit leave the film in an unusual position: finished, sold in some territories, and effectively orphaned in the country where its author is best known. Whether another UK distributor picks it up — and whether Walliams’ wider career can recover — will depend on what, if anything, follows the investigation.