Jonathan Ross ‘horrified’ by allegations about David Walliams and Russell Brand

The 65-year-old made the comments after footage resurfaced of him joking about Walliams and 15-year-olds at the British Comedy Awards in 2004.

Walliams, 55, was named on Tuesday as the subject of a joint investigation by The Guardian and ITV News, after unsuccessfully attempting to obtain an injunction to prevent the publication of allegations against him.

Jonathan Ross said he is ‘horrified’ by the allegations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand (Ian West/PA)

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The best-selling author and former Britain’s Got Talent judge has been accused of sexual misconduct, including grooming teenage girls as young as 15 and abusing his position to pursue women.

Walliams denies all allegations against him.

Ross appears in a photograph featured in the investigation’s accompanying ITV documentary, David Walliams: Power and Silence.

He was pictured alongside Walliams at an event also attended by one of the women who later made allegations about Walliams’ conduct.

In a statement to the Press Association, Ross said: “I am as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation.

“There was a time in my life when I was on friendly terms with both men, and during that period I was genuinely unaware of their conduct.

“My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward.”

The Jonathan Ross Show host has faced scrutiny over his past association with Brand, who was jailed on Monday for 10-and-a-half years for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.

Ross appeared on several television shows alongside Brand and also featured on his BBC Radio 2 show in 2008, when the pair became embroiled in a scandal involving Georgina Baillie.

The incident, dubbed “Sachsgate”, saw the pair leave a voicemail for her grandfather, actor Andrew Sachs, during which they made explicit comments about a relationship she had with Brand.

Russell Brand was jailed for 10-and-a-half years on Monday (James Manning/PA)

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In his statement, Ross also addressed his controversial joke about Walliams and said: “I recognise how deeply shocking it is to revisit footage of a joke delivered by me at the Comedy Awards in 2004, in which I make light of the notion of Walliams going home with a 15-year-old.

“This joke was submitted to me by the Comedy Awards script writing team and I believed that the punchline was a reference to the fact he had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect.

“It is also a tasteless joke that I would not dream of making today about anyone, but that is beside the point.

“Had I had any reason to suspect that it might be referring to actual events, I would not only have refused to use it, but I would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with him.

“I also like to think that I would have acted upon that knowledge.”