Over 20 of Hawick Lau’s shows could be deemed unsuitable for broadcast in China after his voice actor is arrested

More than 20 of Hong Kong actor Hawick Lau’s films and dramas are in danger of being removed from circulation after Chinese voice actor Jiang Guangtao, who has lent his voice to the star's roles for more than a decade, was arrested by the police. 

According to reports, Guangtao is “under investigation due to commercial disputes”. The Beijing People's Procuratorate confirmed in January that his arrest was approved last August.

Houlang work studio issued a statement on March 17 saying that two of its staff and external vendor Jiang Guangtao had committed a serious offence and that they filed a police report after failing to reach a settlement.

It added that the trio are suspected of a criminal offence and the case is now handled by the police. 

Guangtao has dubbed close to 400 films, TV shows and video games, and is one of the “top voice actors” in China.

He is said to have lent his voice to Hawick in more than 20 dramas between 2007 to 2016, including 2010 comedy Happy Mother-In-Law And Pretty Daughter-In-Law, 2011 romance drama Sealed With A Kiss, and 2012 period epic Ru Yi, in which he starred alongside ex-wife Yang Mi.

If found guilty, the hundreds of works he had a part in can no longer be released or circulated as they will be deemed unairable and banned from broadcast.

Netizens lamented the news, saying that if Guangtao’s works are removed, “there will be nothing much left in Chinese entertainment”.

Fans also bemoaned that "everything Hawick Lau has done in the past decade will come to nought” and that he is the “biggest victim” in this scandal.

Photos: Hawick Lau/Weibo