David Walliams: Power and Silence review – some of these images will make your head spin | Television

DPassionate Walliams and his lawyers fought to the end to keep secret the results of a three-year investigation by ITV and the Guardian into allegations by several women of predatory behavior by the comedian and author dating back decades, but those attempts failed and they have now been revealed to the public.

Accompanying the Guardian’s reports, an hour-long documentary was released – first on YouTube and now on ITVX. It largely follows what is quickly becoming and increasingly infuriating a traditional format. Women speaking out against historic abuses, perpetrated against them by a famous man seemingly empowered by his fame and by people determined to maintain the freedom of a lucrative property, sit in front of a camera and give their testimony. Contemporary images attesting to jokes and insinuations that were then in the public domain are projected and mental dizziness sets in. Jonathan Ross introduced the 15th British Comedy Awards in 2004 with: “Like all 15-year-olds, he’s drunk, it’s unpredictable and he’s probably going home with David Walliams”, and Alan Carr a few years later compared his approach to women to that of “an illegal taxi driver – you lure them into a false sense of security and then rush off”. You wonder how shocking this seems, given how little has changed since then – in practical, meaningful terms.

Some women asked for their identity to be disguised, others did not. Some were 15 when they met Walliams, one was 17, others were 18, one was 19. Walliams were generally around double that, regardless of age. Some were vulnerable because of their youth, others for other reasons – a foster upbringing, perhaps, or a previous experience of sexual abuse.

But they all tell similar stories: They were approached and charmed by Walliams, given attention, party invitations, show tickets and gifts, then manipulated into sexual scenarios they didn’t expect, didn’t want or didn’t feel able to say no to – due to their isolation, their celebrity status or the psychological debt we now call “grooming” that they found themselves in; generally all of the above. Most also mention his physical size: “He’s a big guy”; “His huge head on my lap”; “A rather looming figure…coming towards me.” Few women watching don’t respond viscerally to such phrases due to their own experiences of men approaching her.

They also talk about the familiarity that fame engenders, encouraging a certain degree of confidence – especially if you’re young enough to have no real idea of ​​how the world works or perhaps shouldn’t believe an avuncular facade presented, for example, by a judge endlessly encouraging acts on a popular show such as Britain’s Got Talent.

Occasional sentences cut through the increasingly thick miasma of horrors, often because they suddenly highlight the innocence of youth. “Alex” was 15 when she and her mother met Walliams, 32, at a Little Britain book signing and she gave him some sketches she had written and a cover letter including her phone number. He called her and they talked for an hour. “I was just full of hope and excitement.” “Jade”, also 15 when she met Walliams, then 36, agreed to return to his house because “I didn’t think he would want sex. Especially this quickly.” He said they would wait until she was 16 and keep in touch. She didn’t do it.

Beyond the spotlight on Walliams, of course – who denies all allegations and is alternately “mortified” and “devastated” to hear the tales of their now-female experiences – is the vast twilight in which all those who enable alleged predators reside. A former friend of Walliams, “Ben”, who says he witnessed the behavior described by the women, says: “Money, fame, success – everyone wants to be on his side, everyone wants to protect him. » “Katie” raised her concerns about Walliams with HR at HarperCollins, the publishing house for which he was a long-time bestselling author (they recently severed all ties with him). She describes unofficial arrangements that evolved (apparently not in response to her complaints) so that young women were not left alone with Walliams, and adds succinctly that if he hadn’t been such a cash cow, “he would have just been some random guy called Dave”.

It’s a painstaking hour detailing a painstaking investigation. We can only hope that he will make equally meticulous changes.