Gladiators host Barney Walsh’s ‘nepo baby’ fightback and past court appearance

Barney Walsh, son of renowned TV presenter Bradley Walsh, has had his fair share of public scrutiny. He has had to endure allegations of nepotism due to his role as co-host of the BBC's Gladiators alongside his dad, and last year appeared in court after being caught speeding.

Growing up in the entertainment world, Barney has embarked on an acting career and has become well-known for his roles in various series. More recently, in 2023, he joined the cast of Casualty as Cameron Mickelthwaite and in 2021, he took part in All Star Musicals. He has also made appearances on CelebAbility and Celebrity Catchphrase in 2021 and 2023.

But things have not been smooth sailing for the TV personality recently, here is some more insight into what has been going on for the 27-year-old. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter

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Court appearance and speeding offence

Last year, Barney Walsh was slapped with a £1,000 fine after being clocked driving at 95mph on the M4. The Casualty actor was nabbed for speeding in his luxurious 2023-plate Mercedes near Swindon, Wiltshire, in March.

Barney had been prepared to acknowledge that he had been driving "between 93mph and 95mph” at Swindon Magistrates Court on Wednesday, September 18. But despite his intention to enter a guilty plea, his defence team challenged police allegations that he had hit speeds of 97mph.

The presiding magistrate Mark Baker did not shy away from scolding the young celebrity as Walsh failed to attend the hearing himself. Mr Baker said: "We find this a little bit arrogant that this plea is coming from a firm representing Mr Walsh when he was summoned to appear here." It was reported at the time that he was unable to attend due to filming commitments and it had been approved by court.

‘Nepo baby’ allegations

Barney Walsh has recently faced accusations of nepotism following his appointment as co-host of the BBC’s “Gladiators” reboot alongside his father, Bradley Walsh. Some people have argued that Barney’s role is a result of his father’s influence rather than his own merit, with some viewers even describing his presenting style as "wooden".

One viewer also said: "I like Bradley Walsh but he isn’t suited to this and his nepo baby is superfluous.” A critic at the iPaper also wrote: “There is nothing terribly wrong with Barney Walsh as a presenter. I can already hear some of you yelling at me for typing that. But he’s fine.

“He can read an autocue and hit his mark and seems comfortable in front of a camera. Given another few months in the job, he’ll only improve and grow in confidence. But is it likely any of these presenting gigs would have found their way onto his CV without Dad? Probably not.”

Barney Walsh has not publicly responded to the allegations of nepotism or the criticism of his presenting skills.

Relationship with his father

Bradley Walsh has sung the praises of his son, and spoke about his pride on the Tommy Tiernan Show. Speaking about what it has been like to work together, Bradley said: “For dads and mums that try and forge a career for themselves, you don’t spend enough time on your kids I guess.

“That’s payback time but I’ve really really loved it”. He added: “Barney, I always say this about him. He’s the man, he’s the person, I always wanted to be.”