David Williams rakes in hefty £500K in one year despite 'cancelled' star being dropped by BGT, charities and publisher over 'inappropriate behaviour'

David Williams has raked in a hefty £500,000 in one year through his TV production company despite being dropped by BGT, charities and his publisher HarperCollins.The children's author, 55, has experienced a fall from grace in recent years over allegations of 'inappropriate behaviour towards women' – which he denies.Accounts filed for his TV production company, King Bert Productions, reveal that the star made £500,000 last year. The firm, which specialises in comedy, children's and family programming, has produced shows including Gangsta Granny Strikes Again. and Malory Towers. Last month, David's entire children's book catalogue was dropped by HarperCollins and the physical copies are being phased out of bookstores.David was dropped by his publisher HarperCollins over allegations he harassed junior female members of staff.Former employees said they were advised to work in pairs when working with the UK's most successful children's book author, and advised not to go to his home as a result of his behaviour. David Williams has raked in a hefty £500,000 in one year through his TV production company despite being dropped by BGT, charities and his publisher HarperCollins (pictured 2024) The children's author, 55, has experienced a fall from grace in recent years over allegations of 'inappropriate behaviour towards women' – which he deniesOne of the women who raised concerns about the dad-of-one was allegedly given a five-figure payout and has since left the company. A spokesman for David has denied any wrongdoing. They said: '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.'Friends told the Daily Mail that 'it hasn't exactly been the easiest of times for him recently.'The BBC also said they had 'no future projects' in the pipeline with him, despite refusing to pull his appearance in the Christmas special of Would I Lie To You.The episode marked a stunning downfall for David, who is one of Britain's most successful children's authors, having sold more than 60 million copies in 55 languages, as well as being a household name on TV.HarperCollins published his first children's book, The Boy in the Dress, in 2008, while some of his other books, including Gangsta Granny and Billionaire Boy, have also been adapted into television films.When the news broke last year, there was relief in the showbusiness and television worlds where David is, the Daily Mail was told, 'utterly despised.'One source said: 'Finally, someone has said it. It's no longer a secret that he is just not a very nice person.'But for all the efforts of the people who tried to protect him, his behaviour has been one of the biggest open secrets in the industry. A former member of staff on BGT, for example, told the Mail that David was 'hideously rude' to her when she worked there.Notoriously, he left the BGT judging panel in November 2022 under a cloud after audio emerged of him making disparaging remarks about contestants off-camera. In December he was dropped by HarperCollins over allegations he harassed junior female members of staff (seen in 2011)In 2022, a leaked transcript revealed him using vile misogynistic language, calling one contestant a 'c**' and describing another female as 'like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f*** them, but you don't.'The comments, made in January 2020 during auditions at the London Palladium, were picked up on the programme's microphones.Although David apologised at the time and acknowledged his comments were 'disrespectful,' he insisted they were part of a private conversation that was 'never intended to be shared.' He went on to sue the production company Fremantle for misuse of private information and breaching data laws. The company apologised and David is thought to have walked away with about £5million.As well as fresh allegations, his fall from grace has also seen the widespread critical re-appraisal of the show on which he first found fame, Little Britain, the BBC sketch show in which he co-starred with Matt Lucas from 2003 to 2006.While it was enormously popular at the time, the series has since been mired in suggestions that it was racist, sexist and homophobic.Netflix pulled the show along with Come Fly With Me, also created by David and Matt, and later the BBC and BritBox both confirmed they had also decided to remove Little Britain saying 'times have changed' since it first aired.One episode that left David looking particularly bad was a routine used repeatedly during the touring version of the live show in 2005 and 2006, in which he played the part of a predatory children's entertainer named Des Kaye.He would select a young man from the audience and proceed to pull their trousers and underwear down in a game of 'hide the sausage,' appear to grope them and kiss their buttocks, and simulate sex with them. Notoriously, he left the BGT judging panel in November 2022 under a cloud after audio emerged of him making disparaging remarks about contestants off-camera (seen on show) During an interview last February, David fiercely defended the routine and claimed 'not a single person ever complained' about it.He insisted: 'If you were there in the audience at that time, you would have been laughing. It was a different time. It's about context. If you're the sort of person who wants to get annoyed about something 20 years ago...'As a result of the mounting backlash against the star, David is understood to no longer represent the handful of remaining charities where he had been a celebrity patron or ambassador.He was removed as a director and trustee of the The Candy Foundation, run by millionaire property developer Nick Candy, a post he has held since 2020, but was ‘terminated’ earlier this month.He was also a celebrity patron of the theatre charity MGC Futures alongside stars like Dame Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Daniel Radcliffe, Aidan Turner and Ben Whishaw – but he has since been removed from their website.And in December, The Children’s Trust also dropped the Little Britain actor as an ambassador.While he is still listed as a patron for the charity, a spokesman told the Mail this month that the role of all patrons was being reviewed and that David’s role had been ‘dormant’ for 15 years.The loss of his patron or ambassador status with such charities is likely to be a severe blow to the comedian’s self-esteem as it has long been a core component of his public persona.He was appointed an OBE in 2017 for his services to charity, after he swam both the Thames and the English Channel to raise more than £1million for Sport Relief, and was a prominent star performer in the BBC’s annual Comic Relief fundraiser.A charity sector source told the Mail: ‘He was once one of the most committed celebrities in terms of supporting a large number of charities. 'But no charity wants to be associated with David Walliams any longer after all the negative headlines – they’re just slower to act than larger media companies.’