Schools start removing David Walliams's books as some libraries say they will keep them on their shelves

Schools are removing books by David Walliams from shelves after he was accused of sexual misconduct and abusing his power to groom teenagers as young as 15.Headteachers say they are withdrawing novels written by the best-selling author to avoid pupils feeling 'traumatised' after hearing reports about his alleged behaviour.But school leaders want clarity from the Department for Education on whether the books should be withdrawn, given the decision currently rests with individual schools.Meanwhile public libraries in the likes of Kent, Sussex and Surrey have said they will not be removing the books – while others in London have already put them in storage.Walliams had a hugely successful career as a children's book author, releasing his debut novel The Boy in the Dress, which was illustrated by Quentin Blake in 2008.Another hit was Gangsta Granny, which was turned into a BBC TV special in 2013, followed by a sequel starring Sheridan Smith in 2022 and later adapted for the stage.Walliams wrote more than 40 books, and in 2018 they constituted 44 per cent of all sales of HarperCollins children's titles - generating revenue of £100million by 2019.But Steve Chalke, founder of the Oasis Charitable Trust, which runs 58 schools in England, said he wanted to avoid children becoming upset by seeing the books. David Walliams reads his book Gangsta Granny to children at a school in London in 2015He told BBC Breakfast: 'No child can be protected from hearing about the story about David Walliams. It's on the TV, it's on the radio, it's on the front page of newspapers etc and their parents are going to be talking about it.'So when a child wanders into a school and into the library and sees his name or perhaps sees his photo on a book, it can be very traumatising for some children.'Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, has called on the Government to help schools decide what action to take.He said: 'We'll be talking to colleagues from the Department for Education today to ask for some clarity, some transparency, some advice and guidance, so that headteachers can make sure they are making informed decisions that are part of a national context, that are appropriately based in law, and that they can make sure they're doing the right thing on behalf of young people in schools.'It comes after author Chloe Combi said she was told in 2015 to warn schools that Walliams was 'not an appropriate booking' by someone 'quite senior' in the publishing industry.She spoke to BBC News, saying the woman told her: 'Whatever you do, don't invite David Walliams, and FYI if you are speaking to head teachers or teachers, please inform them that he's not a good booking, not an appropriate booking for a school.'Ms Combi added: 'I obviously asked why, and to be honest I had already heard quite a lot of rumours because those worlds are quite small and contained.'One of the things she said was that there had been real concerns about his behaviour around young female staff.'Meanwhile a former staff member at HarperCollins claimed this week that normal working practices had to be changed around Walliams and young women were not sent on their own to his home.It is alleged he had a sexual relationship with at least one junior employee and pursued another.Walliams has sold more than 60 million copies of his children's books globally, with other titles including Fing – which has been turned into an upcoming movie. David Walliams at a book signing for 'Awful Auntie' and 'The First Hippo on the Moon' in 2014The Australian-made movie will be released in cinemas on January 14 and originally featured a cameo by Walliams, but distributors confirmed this week that he will no longer appear in it.Meanwhile libraries are taking different approaches on whether to remove his books, with Kent County Council among those saying they will stay on its shelves for now.A spokesman for the local authority, which is controlled by Reform UK, said there were 'no plans' to remove Walliams's books because decisions about its stock were 'not made through blanket bans on individual authors'.Medway Council insisted that the books 'should remain available to readers unless their content is illegal', while Surrey County Council said decisions on stock were 'based on reader demand, usage and maintaining a relevant, balanced collection'.West Sussex County Council said it would continue to stock books by Walliams, but would not be buying any more titles.Meanwhile a large catalogue of Walliams's books have been taken off library shelves in Camden, north London, and placed into storage.A Camden Council spokesperson said: 'We are committed to making Camden a safer place for women and girls, to challenging harmful attitudes, and promoting healthy relationships.'Following these allegations, we believe the most appropriate action is to remove these books from display.'The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals has guidance backing freedom of access to published material unless content is prohibited by law.A spokesman for Libraries Connected, which represents and supports public libraries, said: 'Libraries follow established professional and ethical principles around stock availability.'The starting point is that all books should be made available to readers unless the content of those books is illegal.' Copies of books by David Walliams are pictured on the shelves of a library in London yesterdayIn December 2025, Walliams was dropped by HarperCollins which said 'after careful consideration' it would not be publishing any new titles from the award-winning children's author.The decision to drop him was made following a media investigation into allegations he had 'harassed' young women.At the time, a statement from HarperCollins said: 'After careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams. The author is aware of this decision.'HarperCollins takes employee wellbeing extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns. To respect the privacy of individuals we do not comment on internal matters.'However, a spokesperson for Walliams said he had 'never been informed of any allegations raised against him by HarperCollins'.Walliams representatives added: 'He was not party to any investigation or given any opportunity to answer questions. David strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately and is taking legal advice.'Shortly after being dropped by HarperCollins, Walliams was also dropped from his appearance at the Waterstones Children's Book Festival in Dundee.Theme park Alton Towers permanently closed its World Of David Walliams attraction last week.The attraction focused on his children's books, with attractions including Gangsta Granny: The Ride, Raj's Bouncy Bottom Burp and The Royal Carousel – as well as Raj's Shop and The Burger Kitchen.Walliams was named as part of an investigation by the Guardian and ITV News on Tuesday, after he tried to obtain an injunction to prevent the reporting of allegations against him.One woman described her alleged encounter with Walliams, when she was 15, as a 'sexual assault', while multiple women accused him of 'grooming' them when they were teenagers.Walliams denies any wrongdoing. David Walliams signs copies of 'Grandpa's Great Escape' and 'The Bear Who Went Boo' in 2015In a letter understood to have been sent several months ago by Walliams to journalists working on the investigations, the television personality denied being a 'sexual predator'.He said he recognised he 'behaved thoughtlessly' at times, and regretted not taking people's feelings 'properly into account', but insisted he had not broken the law.The letter added: 'Whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did.'A spokesperson for HarperCollins UK said: 'HarperCollins UK previously terminated its publishing relationship with David Walliams.'We take the safety of our people incredibly seriously and to respect the privacy of individuals we do not comment on employee matters.'Walliams has not yet responded to Tuesday's reports that have named him as the subject of the allegations.It follows his unsuccessful attempts to seek an injunction to prevent the publications because of the risk he would take his own life, after two previous suicide attempts.Judge Mr Justice Nicklin refused the bid for an injunction, ruling it would be an 'exceptionally serious interference' with freedom of expression.The Metropolitan Police said it has contacted the Guardian and ITV News 'to ensure that any potential victims' are 'made aware of how they could report any criminal allegations to police', after the sexual misconduct claims were made.Several sources alleged inappropriate behaviour towards women at the prime-time show Britain's Got Talent (BGT), where Walliams served as a judge from 2012 to 2022.He was dropped by his literary agency, Independent Talent Group, after the allegations were published and the BBC started to remove his shows, including Little Britain, from iPlayer. David Walliams at a signing for his book 'The World's Worst Children 2' in Hampstead in 2017Walliams had his Labour Party membership suspended and Downing Street described the allegations as 'deeply troubling'.Allegations made in the reports by ITV News and the Guardian include one from a woman known as Jade, who alleges what she describes as 'sexual assault' and 'grooming' after meeting him in 2007 when she was 15 and he was 36.Another woman, named by the news organisations as Alex, also accused Walliams of grooming her, and alleged she was having sex with him by the time she was 17.A young woman named Lilly Creightmore, who said she met Walliams when she was 18 at a live filming of Little Britain, alleges he was 'trying to coerce me into sleeping with him' after claiming he asked her to stay in his bed every night.A model, named as Ella, alleges Walliams tried to kiss her when they were alone after she met him at a party in 2007 when she was 19 and he was 36.Walliams has vehemently denied all allegations made against him, rejects any allegations of criminal activity and said he has never engaged in the grooming of young women.He also denies 'buying' a junior BGT employee's silence following allegations from a man, named as Mark, who claimed he received £300 from Walliams after he walked into his dressing room and found two 'very young people' in there while the TV star was only wearing a towel.A spokesperson for Fremantle UK, which makes BGT, said the company is 'disturbed and concerned' at the 'serious allegations', but added that no complaint was ever made to them about his behaviour.Walliams – who joined BGT as a judge in 2012 – left the panel in 2022 after he apologised for making 'disrespectful comments' about auditioning contestants during filming breaks in January 2020 at the London Palladium.In 2023, Fremantle apologised and reached an 'amicable resolution' with Walliams after the remarks he made while on the show were leaked.A spokesperson for ITV said production company Fremantle has day-to-day responsibility for the production of BGT, including 'all aspects of duty of care' and compliance with 'legal and regulatory obligations'.'We expect the highest standards of all production companies who work with us, and to be notified of any duty of care concerns when they come to the producer's attention,' the broadcaster said.The Daily Mail has contacted the Department for Education for comment.