Author says publishing insider warned her off David Walliams in 2015

Author Chloe Combi says a senior figure in publishing warned her off David Walliams at an event in 2015, while the two were discussing a scheme she ran to bring high-profile writers into schools. According to Combi, the person offered good recommendations, then told her: "Whatever you do, don't invite David Walliams," and asked her to pass word to head teachers that he was "not a good booking, not an appropriate booking for a school." Among the reasons given, Combi said, were "real concerns about his behaviour around young female staff."

Combi told the BBC she had already heard plenty of rumours, because the publishing and TV worlds are small and contained. Asked whether concerns about Walliams were an open secret, she said "yes, definitely," and that she had heard it from publishing staff, fellow writers and people in celebrity and TV circles. She never met Walliams herself and said her information came from "a number of people I was speaking to."

HarperCollins dropped Walliams last year, and in September announced it would no longer publish his back catalogue.

The claims landed the same day media minister Ian Murray told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee there is a "cultural problem" in the industry that needs to be "stamped out." He said he was "deeply saddened and also angry" at how prevalent abuse by men in the media industry has been. In the Commons, Minister for Women and Equalities Bridget Phillipson praised the "bravery" of victims who have spoken out in recent days, saying women and girls should never have to shrink their lives or ambitions because of "outdated, misogynistic attitudes."

Comedian and podcaster Deborah Frances-White told BBC Radio 4's The World at One that young women are "definitely" still being exploited in comedy, and that perpetrators understand consent but enjoy the power of ignoring it: "The thrill is in the contravention of consent." Asked whether she recognised the picture painted by Russell Brand's conviction and the allegations against Walliams, she said "yes, entirely." Frances-White described being asked to meet male producers in dimly lit rooms, "walking a tightrope" to make them feel attractive and avoid being assaulted while they held sway over future work, and said such situations are "definitely still going on" — she is in a WhatsApp group where female comedians share their experiences.