Russell Brand news: Comedian accused of rape and sexual assault ahead of Dispatches documentary

The comedian and actor said he “absolutely refutes” the allegations against him, which he did not reveal in detail but referred to as “very, very serious criminal allegations”.

Brand, 48, said the allegations “pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when… I was very, very promiscuous.”

Female comedians reportedly set up onine groups to warn each other of comedians and those who had displayed predatory behaviour within the industry.

Comedian Daniel Sloss told The Sunday Times: “I know for many, many years that women have been warning each other about Russell.”

Another female comedian claimed that Brand was “like the Predator” at parties and that he had once chased her around and bit her face despite her being uncomfortable.

Brand has denied all allegations against him.

A BBC spokesperson said: “Russell Brand worked for a number of different organisations of which the BBC was one. As is well known, Russell Brand left the BBC after a serious editorial breach in 2008 – as did the then controller of Radio 2.

“The circumstances of the breach were reviewed in detail at the time. We hope that demonstrates that the BBC takes issues seriously and is prepared to act.

“We will always listen to people if they come forward with any concerns, on any issue related to any individual working at the BBC, past or present.”

The comedian and the chat show host made several calls to the Fawlty Towers actor, and Brand left a voice message saying he had sex with Sachs’s granddaughter Georgina Baillie.

According to insiders who worked for BBC radio at the time, complaints were allegedly made about Brand’s behaviour to Lesley Douglas, the then controller for Radio 2 and 6 Music.

In December 2007, it is claimed that a complaint was made after “an alarming display of aggression” from Brand, which included him hurling objects and “urinating in a bottle in full view of everyone”.

Earlier that year, he called Jimmy Savile, who suggested they meet if Brand brought a sister. As he does not have a sister, he responded: “I’ve got a personal assistant. And part of her job description is that anyone I demand she greet, meet, massages, she has to do it. She’s very attractive, Jimmy.”

Four years later, Savile would be exposed as one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders.

Brand has denied the allegations against him and said they were “very serious allegations that I absolutely refute”.

Russell Brand’s literary agents removed him from their website after they were approached by The Sunday Times.

In 2020, a woman contacted Brand’s literary agent Angharad Wood, co-founder of Tavistock Wood which is owned by talent agency Curtis Brown, to inform them that Brand had a relationship with her while she was a 16-year-old schoolgirl.

She received a response from Brand’s lawyer dening her allegations and implying “it was almost blackmail”.

After being approached by the newspaper three years later, Brand was removed from the Curtis Brown and Tavistock Wood website.

In a statement on behalf of Tavistock Wood, they said: “Russell Brand categorically and vehemently denied the allegation made in 2020, but we now believe we were horribly misled by him. TW has terminated all professional ties to Brand.”

A fourth woman claimed that Brand sexually assaulted her at his home after pinning her down on the bed when they were alone together.

She told The Sunday Times that she had been “screaming so hard” until Brand relented and became “super angry”.

After becoming aware of her allegation, she claims that Brand threatened her with legal action and she feared her career would be affected.

The newspaper reports that three separate sources confirmed she had told them about her allegation at the time.

In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Brand denied the allegations against him and claimed there was a “serious and concerted agenda” against him.

From kisses to jokes about getting women pregnant, Russell Brand has always been a controversial character that many TV show hosts struggled to deal with during interviews.

Channel 4 has revealed the subject of the mysterious Dispatches on a previously unknown subject airing tonight (Saturday 16 September).

On Friday (15 September), viewers noticed the episode on TV schedules during a prime spot on Saturday evening.

The episode was originally listed without a title as a Dispatches Special, with its description reading: “A 90-minute special Dispatches investigation.”