Showbiz agent who was ignored by broadcasters wanted £10,000 for story of David Walliams' 'inappropriate behaviour'
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A showbusiness agent who told Newsnight that he had reported David Walliams' behaviour to 'authorities and broadcasters' had in fact tried to sell the story to this newspaper for £10,000.
Dermot McNamara tried to negotiate the fee with The Mail on Sunday in 2022 – shortly after the disgraced comedian was sacked as a judge on Britain's Got Talent.
Mr McNamara insisted he would not allow the story about Walliams' alleged behaviour towards his female friend to be published unless the cash was handed over.
And last December, after Walliams, 55, was sacked by his publisher HarperCollins following allegations of inappropriate behaviour and harassment involving junior female staff, Mr McNamara once again insisted a payment of 'at least £6,000' would have to be paid for her story to be made public.
He also appeared to initiate a bidding war, saying that journalists at a rival newspaper were offering him money for information on the woman. The MoS declined to engage further.
Dermot McNamara tried to negotiate the fee with The Mail on Sunday in 2022 – shortly after the disgraced comedian was sacked as a judge on Britain's Got Talent
Mr McNamara – who describes himself as a 'talent agent, publicist and producer' on his X biography – failed to declare his financial request when he appeared on BBC Two's Newsnight, where he was interviewed by host Victoria Derbyshire.
His appearance was just hours after The Guardian and ITV News revealed Walliams was the 'well known' individual who had tried to obtain an injunction to prevent the reporting of allegations against him.
Mr McNamara told how he reported the star's behaviour towards his friend to both 'authorities and broadcasters'.
Asked if any action was taken, he said: 'Not that I'm aware of... he was still on TV for many years. He was still allowed, by the sounds of it, to be involved with other young women.'
He also told how Walliams' behaviour had a 'profound effect' on his friend's mental health, making it a 'struggle to see him in the media, getting jobs... raising money for charity, allowed in classrooms [and] children's bedrooms with his books'.
The young woman, now in her mid-20s, is understood to be one of those whose story appears in The Guardian and ITV News investigation, David Walliams: Power and Silence, which alleged the Little Britain star targeted girls as young as 15 for sex.
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