U.K. actors settle phone hacking claims with tabloid publisher

A man looks at his phone as he walks along the Samsung stand during the Mobile World Congress wireless show in Barcelona, Spain on February 27, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, Emilio Morenatti

LONDON — British television presenter and writer David Walliams and "Doc Martin" star Martin Clunes were among several actors who formally settled damages Thursday with a newspaper publisher over phone hacking claims.

Walliams, a judge on "Britain's Got Talent," and several others including Clunes sued Mirror Group Newspapers, publisher of tabloids including the Mirror, for illegally intercepting their voicemails.

Lawyers for Walliams alleged he and his friends were targeted by the publisher from 2003 to 2010, and that 45 news articles were published as a result of intercepted voicemails and other unlawful techniques.

The actor's lawyer, Roddy Chisholm Batten, told the High Court that Walliams "suffered distress and embarrassment as a result of the misuse of his private information" and that many of the articles were "highly intrusive."

The publisher had previously admitted wrongdoing and agreed to settle the claims with Walliams, Clunes and other British celebrities.

The cases were formally settled at a High Court hearing Thursday, and the publisher issued a public apology and unspecified compensation to the actors.