Great Britain | Abuse and power: British media industry under fire

According to London police, investigations are underway against British comedian David Williams for alleged “serious sexual offenses.” Photo: dpa/Ian West “The Comedy Award is 15 years old!” shouts host Jonathan Ross to the cheering hall. "And like all 15-year-olds, he's drunk, unpredictable, and he's probably going home with David Walliams." The joke causes a lot of amusement in the audience, and Walliams himself puts his head back and laughs. The scene occurred during the British Comedy Awards ceremony in 2004. Walliams was one of the most successful British comedians at the time - that evening he won the award for best TV comedy with his show "Little Britain".

The joke was already in bad taste at the time, but given the recent revelations about Walliams it appears in a different light. According to an investigation by the Guardian and ITV, which was published on Tuesday, the comedian abused his star status to sexually exploit young women. Some of the alleged victims were said to be teenagers when Walliams tried to approach them. Walliams denies any wrongdoing. On Friday, London police announced that they had opened a criminal investigation against Walliams for alleged "serious sexual offences"; The allegations are separate from those reported by the Guardian and ITV.

Over the past week, it has become clear that the revelations hardly came as a surprise to industry insiders. Apparently, Walliams has had a reputation for decades as a somewhat sleazy man who particularly targets young women. The joke at the Comedy Awards over twenty years ago was not the only public reference to this: Walliams' alleged promiscuity was repeatedly the punch line in comedy sketches, and he was also asked about it in interviews.

"Powerful celebrities like Brand can hide under our noses for years with the help of media organizations."

The situation is similar with Russell Brand, the former prominent actor and comedian who was sentenced to more than ten years in prison on Monday for rape and sexual assault. One of his victims said before the verdict was announced that she had watched for years how Brand was celebrated in the media "for his disgusting behavior towards women, as if it were a joke."

In recent days, many former friends and acquaintances have distanced themselves from Walliams and Brand. Jonathan Ross released a statement in which he said he was "appalled by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand." He was "genuinely unaware" of their behavior - he did not write the joke at the Comedy Awards himself.

Nevertheless, one gets the impression that the media industry played its part in allowing Brand to abuse women with impunity for years. “Powerful celebrities like Brand can hide under our noses for years with the help of media organizations,” writes Lindsey Blumell, lecturer in journalism at City St George’s University in London. Both sides benefit from the relationship: "Celebrities are legitimized and hyped through regular attention - and in return the media organizations receive clicks and views."

Culture and Media Minister Lisa Nandy has called on the industry to take measures to prevent such cases of abuse. "It's about a huge power imbalance" in the media business, Nandy told Sky News. On the one hand there are "big stars, big names" and on the other hand there are "many young people who are employed in insecure and short-term employment relationships." In such situations, raising your voice could mean the end of your career. Too many media organizations are not doing enough to protect whistleblowers and "take action when concerns are raised." Russell Brand's conviction should be "a wake-up call," Nandy said.

In the House of Commons she said she would meet with representatives from the media and entertainment industry next week to discuss the necessary steps. If she considers the proposed protective mechanisms to be insufficient, Nandy said, then she reserves the right to "take further measures."

One possibility is that all media organizations must register with the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA) - currently this is done on a voluntary basis. The body was established in 2024 with the purpose of tackling bullying, harassment and discrimination in the creative industries. The government could also introduce stronger rules for so-called non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). These industry-standard confidentiality agreements stipulate that certain information about personalities or media projects may not be passed on to third parties. Activists are calling for more effective safeguards to ensure that such NDAs are not abused to silence victims of harassment and discrimination.

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