David Walliams’ bad year gets worse with theme park shut after publisher dumps comedian

UK theme park Alton Towers has permanently closed The World of David Walliams, an attraction dedicated to comedian David Walliams.

 A Merlin Entertainments spokesperson said the decision followed a routine end-of-season review.

“As the 2026 peak season at Alton Towers Resort comes to an end and following our regular review of rides and attractions across the resort, we have taken the decision to permanently close the World Of David Walliams,” a Merlin Entertainments spokesperson said.

“As we are no longer in the main season, guests are encouraged to check the Alton Towers Resort website and app for the latest attraction opening information ahead of their visit,” the park said in a statement on its website.

The timing, however, is somewhat auspicious for the children's author, who was dropped by his publisher, while his TV agency stopped actively representing him. 

The BBC reported that the decision is understood to have taken into account “a range of operational and guest experience considerations”.

The area opened in 2021. 

READ MORE: Stan announces star-studded adaptation of David Walliams' ‘FING’

A year of exits

HarperCollins dropped Walliams as an author in December 2025, after an internal investigation into his alleged behaviour towards junior female employees.

“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,” the publisher said at the time.

In September 2026, HarperCollins went further and dropped his entire backlist, as The Bookseller first reported. The publisher had published his children’s books since The Boy in the Dress in 2008. The Telegraph reported that it would phase out bookshop stock and remove his ebooks and audiobooks.

That same month, Deadline reported that talent agency YMU was no longer actively representing Walliams and had removed his profile from its website. YMU had previously represented his TV interests, including his decade as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent. A source told Deadline that Walliams was “not currently in a commercial relationship with YMU” after amicable talks in early 2026, and said the agency had not severed ties. Independent Talent Group still handles his literary interests.

In late October, TMZ reported that Walliams was no longer involved in the film The Road to Nevermore, which he had reportedly been in talks to star in.

Walliams’ Stan connection

The fallout has an Australian side. In March 2025, Stan announced Fing!, a Stan Original Film adapted from Walliams’ 2019 children’s book. Its cast includes Taika Waititi as the villainous Viscount, Mia Wasikowska, Richard Roxburgh, Robyn Nevin, Blake Harrison, and Penelope Wilton.

Walliams co-wrote the screenplay with Kevin Cecil and appears in the film as the headmaster. Jeffrey Walker directed. The film is an official Australian-UK co-production, shot in Brisbane with Screen Queensland and produced by Jo Sargent of King Bert Productions and Todd Fellman of Story Bridge Films.

Fing! premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 24 January 2026. Transmission is set to release it in Australian cinemas on 14 January 2027, before it streams exclusively on Stan.

“It’s a film with universal appeal, and we are confident it will resonate with Australian audiences of all ages,” Stan Chief Content Officer Cailah Scobie said when the film was announced.

Mediaweek has contacted Stan for comment.

The allegations

The Telegraph first reported the claims in December 2025. It said one woman who raised concerns about Walliams received a five-figure payout from HarperCollins and left the business. Former staff told the paper that employees were instructed to meet Walliams in “pairs” and advised not to visit his home.

Walliams denies the allegations.

“David has never been informed of any allegations raised against him by HarperCollins. 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,” a spokesperson said in December.

From Little Britain to bestseller lists

Walliams created and co-starred in the BBC sketch show Little Britain with Matt Lucas in the 2000s. He went on to sell more than 60 million copies of his 40-plus children’s books, in 55 languages. Several, including Gangsta Granny and Billionaire Boy, have been adapted for television.

He left Britain’s Got Talent in 2022 and apologised for “disrespectful comments” about contestants, made during filming breaks in January 2020.

Alton Towers said it would announce plans for the area once they have been confirmed.