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BBC star Barney Walsh has been banned from driving for six months after he was caught breaking a temporary 50mph speed limit on a motorway in South Gloucestershire. The 28-year-old Gladiators presenter, who also stars in the broadcaster's long-running medical drama Casualty, was caught driving at 58mph in a 50mph stretch of the M4 in his 2023 black Mercedes-Benz SUV on October 27 last year.

However, Barney failed to attend the hearing as "work commitments" had "taken him out of England at the moment," his solicitor, Gwyn Lewis, informed the court. Mr Lewis, who had been instructed by Barney to represent him, told the court that Mr Walsh had accumulated nine points, meaning a disqualification was "inevitable".

He told the court: "I'm not instructed to resist the disqualification and he has been told he is not to drive from last night." Walsh had previously pleaded guilty to a single count of exceeding a temporary 50mph speed restriction on a motorway.

The actor was spotted at the wheel of a 2023-plate Mercedes and was prepared to enter a guilty plea for driving "between 93mph and 95mph." Walsh's legal team disputed claims that he had been travelling at 97mph.

At the time, presiding magistrate Mark Baker branded the TV presenter as "arrogant" and criticised him for failing to attend his hearing in person voluntarily. It is understood he was unable to attend due to filming commitments, which had been approved by the court.

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. But he has not appeared and nor have his representatives. Other people today have made great efforts to get here from considerable distances, yet Mr Walsh seems to think that he does not need to appear." The star had the option of pleading by post, which he accepted.

He added: "Some people seem to think they do not need to turn up, but if they are summoned they are expected to." Prosecutor Anna Hughes revealed that Wiltshire Police observed the star's Mercedes GLC 300 speed past a manned camera on the M4 at 4.30pm on March 6, 2024. Although officers recorded Walsh's speed at 97mph, his legal team contended he was travelling at between 93mph and 95mph. While comparable speeding offences to Barney's prior conviction carry a fine of £2,500, the magistrate reduced his penalty to just £1,000, with five additional points added to his licence.

This brought his overall tally to eight points. In the UK, drivers currently face losing their licence should they accumulate 12 or more points within a three-year period. Walsh was further ordered to pay £490 in court costs and given just 28 days to settle the outstanding amount.