David Walliams has reportedly been offered a multi-million-pound payout from Britain's Got Talent after stepping down over his X-rated rant.
Last November, the former Little Britain star stepped down from his role as a judge on the show after offensive comments he made about contestants were leaked to The Guardian newspaper.
The 52 year old is now understood to be about to agree to a large settlement after alleging that the producers recorded his private conversations without his knowledge.
The Sun on Sunday reports how both sides are trying to reach a financial agreement to ‘avoid going to court.’
A source told the publication: “The specific details of the talks are being kept secret for obvious reasons but an agreement is not far off.”
David claimed behind-the-scenes staff 'recorded, transcribed and retained' all his conversations during his ten years on the show, despite him having no idea his microphone was 'kept on and recording' throughout.
The comedian is reportedly seeking up to £10million, after claiming that 1,700 hours of audio recordings were collected.
He also claims producers recorded a private chat with his fellow judges Alesha Dixon, Simon Cowell, and Amanda Holden about the impact of his father's death.
Since leaving the show following his controversial comments, David says he has battled severe depression and 'active suicidal thoughts'.
In a statement issued on Friday, November 24, Fremantle said they were 'saddened' that David was taking legal action and 'remain open to resolve this matter amicably'.
Recordings revealed the TV judge has called an elderly contestant a 'c***' three times after they left the stage.
In another X-rated rant about a female contestant, he said: “She's like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f*** them, but you don't.
“It's the last thing on your mind, but she's like: 'Yep, I bet you do!' 'No I don't!' I had a bit of a boner, but now it's going, it's now shriveled up inside my body.'"
David has since issued a public apology over the comments. In court documents released last month, the star's lawyers argued that he had made the comment during a ‘private conversation’ that was not intended for broadcast.
Meanwhile, Thames TV, the production company behind BGT agreed. The Mail reports how court documents also showed that he ‘received a letter from The Guardian about his leaked audio last year months before he was offered a new contract from BGT.’
David said that this is when he learned that producers had been 'collecting and retaining vastly more of his personal data than he had been given to understand.'
A Fremantle source told the publication that the judges did know they were always being recorded, adding that “all the comments judges made at the desk were going to be recorded, even when they weren't speaking to contestants.”
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