a b c d MacDonald, Ryan (August 28, 2000). "Deep Fighter Review (DC)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 20, 2001 . Retrieved July 8, 2020.

Lawyers for Cowell and Syco said they had no knowledge that casting staff were identifying “buzz off” contestants. The spokesperson for Cowell and Syco added: “The incredible, talented and varied contestants who audition are at the heart of Britain’s Got Talent and we have utmost respect and gratitude for all who enter - and are incredibly proud of the success of the many Got Talent contestants.”

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BGT judges Simon Cowell and David Walliams outside the London Palladium in January 2020. Photograph: Stuart C Wilson/Getty Images

Walliams, one of the UK’s best-known television personalities and children’s book authors, announced he was leaving Britain’s Got Talent in November 2022 after it was reported that he had made disrespectful comments about contestants on the show. Walliam’s success partly stems from an innate grasp of the comedic potential of outrageous characters we nevertheless recognise instantly – from the power-hungry councillor mother in Mr Stink to the terrorising battle-axe Aunt Alberta in Awful Auntie. One reviewer summed up the comedic secret saying ‘There are plenty of jokes (Walliams knows how to write a very funny list), a couple of comedy baddies and some truly awful school dinners. Kornifex (October 17, 2000). "Test: Deep Fighter (DCAST)". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia . Retrieved July 9, 2020. Further picture books have followed, including The First Hippo on the Moon and The Bear Who Went Boo as well as a book specially written to support Comic Relief, The Queen’s Orang-utan.

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Thinks he can go all the way to the final!” a casting team staffer apparently wrote of one “buzz off” contestant. “Only put through because he is so unlikeable.” A note beside another contestant said: “Not sure that she is quite bad enough.” Already an established national media presence, Walliams had conquered the worlds of comedy, stage and screen including writing and starring in award-winning programmes like Little Britain when in 2008 he turned his talent to fiction, writing his first book for children, The Boy in the Dress. His third book, Billionaire Boy, launched a collaboration with Tony Ross who provided images for his the book and has continued to work with Walliams on his later novels, including the massively successful Awful Auntie, The Demon Dentist, Ratburger and a collection of stories cataloguing The World’s Worst Children. The actor and comedian had been part of the judging lineup since 2012 but his position came into question after the Guardian saw a leaked transcript of offensive comments he had made during an audition show at the London Palladium in January 2020.

Two of the more famous games were 'Alphabet Soup' and 'The Dark Knight'. The first game was where giant letters had to be fished out of a swimming pool (ostensibly a soup bowl) to make words on the "fridge". In the second game the contestants had to move from square to square on a chess board (they could only move one space per turn, and every forward movement had to be followed by a sidestep), until they reached the end. The catch was that the "dark knight" was attempting to stop them, though he could only see the player's last move which was lit up.Mad Carl (September 1, 2000). "Deep Fighter". PlanetDreamcast. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009 . Retrieved July 9, 2020. Make your appointment...if you dare, with The Demon Dentist in this hilarious novel and help investigate who is leaving disgusting slugs under children's pillows at night... And finally, delve into the heartfelt but hilarious hoot of an adventure in Awful Auntie whenAunt Alberta and her giant owl will stop at nothing to get to Stella's heir to Saxby Hall! Thames TV, the production company behind Britain’s Got Talent, which is part of FremantleMedia, said the company regarded Walliams’ comments as private but that his language was “inappropriate”. Lawyers for Walliams and Thames TV said the comments were part of a private conversation never intended for broadcast.