The Metropolitan Police said it received a number of allegations of 'non-recent serious sexual offenses' against a man now in his fifties in recent days, and Detective Superintendent Mike Cagney, leading the team, urged any victim of a sexual offense to come forward 'no matter when it happened,' saying specialist officers are on hand to guide people through the process.

The force has not confirmed how many complaints it received, the nature of the accusations, or where and when the incidents allegedly took place.

Per Audacy's AP report, the new allegations are different from those reported by ITV and The Guardian, but investigators will also look into the news stories for evidence of other crimes.

The probe lands just six days after Russell Brand was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison for rape and assault, and CBC Arts asks whether the pairing marks a watershed moment for U.K. comedy, with journalist Kat Tenbarge, culture critic Hanna Flint and comedian Nathan D'Arcy Roberts weighing how the entertainment industry enables predatory behavior and why allegations take so long to surface.

DW notes the reckoning extends beyond comedy to literature: children's author Neil Gaiman was accused of sexual assault in 2024, prompting Disney and DC Comics to drop adaptations of his works, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the media industry must examine whether it is protecting women and girls who work within it.

One woman named as Jade alleged Walliams contacted her out of the blue on MySpace in 2007 when she was 15 and he was 36, then sexually assaulted her at his £3.2m London townhouse; another, named as Alex, said she began having sex with Walliams at 17 after he telephoned her in 2004, saying 'I think I was groomed.

100 per cent.' The outlets produced an hourlong documentary, 'David Walliams: Power and Silence.'

Walliams strongly denied the allegations, telling the publications: 'I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law.'

The Independent reports Walliams, 55, had taken legal action against ITN and Guardian News & Media to block publication, but Justice Matthew Nicklin refused the injunction, ruling it would be an 'exceptionally serious interference' with freedom of expression, and said mental health services were responsible for his safety after the court heard of two previous suicide attempts.

Walliams had argued publication of sexual misconduct allegations would lead him to take his own life.

The fallout predates the police probe.

According to The Independent, Walliams was dropped by publisher HarperCollins in December 2025 over allegations he harassed young women, was dropped by his literary agency Independent Talent Group after publication, and had his Labour Party membership suspended.

The BBC began removing his shows, including 'Little Britain,' from iPlayer, and the Alton Towers attraction based on his children's books was permanently closed earlier this month.

Audacy's AP report adds that producers of the upcoming 'Fing!' film removed his cameo and Sky is dropping the U.K. release despite his co-writing credit.

The Met has given no timeline for its investigation, and Walliams has not been charged with any offense; the force has not even described the nature of the new allegations.

Audacy's AP report notes Britain's Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is expected to meet entertainment industry leaders next week, where she will warn the government could intervene if the industry fails to protect whistleblowers on sexual assault and misconduct.

Meanwhile, police say more women have come forward against Russell Brand since his sentencing, with two further cases against him already under investigation, meaning the next moves by Scotland Yard and Whitehall will shape how the U.K. comedy and publishing worlds handle such cases.