Russell Brand faces rape and sexual assault allegations at the height of his fame

Russell Brand was accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse during a seven-year period at the height of his fame.

Four women, including one who was just 16 at the time, alleged sexual assaults which occurred between 2006 and 2013, when Brand was working for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4, and starring in Hollywood films.

The comedian and actor also faces allegations of controlling, abusive and predatory behavior, following a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches.

Brand vehemently denies the allegations and, in a video posted online, said all of his relationships were “consensual”, before accusing the media of a “coordinated attack”.

It comes after Channel 4 Dispatches aired a 90-minute film on Saturday evening called Russell Brand: In Plain Sight, which saw four unidentified women detail their allegations, and other women speak about their experiences working with Brand on the television sets.

It included Brand’s former personal assistant Helen Berger, who called him a “narcissist” in an interview for the program.

Meanwhile, Brand appeared as planned at the 2,000-capacity Troubadour Wembley Park Theater in north-west London to perform a sold-out comedy concert on Saturday night.

His show, called Bipolarization, was scheduled to start at 7 p.m., but was delayed by more than 45 minutes and lasted about an hour.

Without directly addressing the allegations, members of the public told the PA Brand news agency that he hoped he could “appreciate” that there were things he couldn’t talk about during filming.

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The allegations against Brand include a woman who claims she was sexually assaulted during a three-month relationship with him when she was 16 and still in school.

The woman described his behavior towards her as “grooming” as he allegedly provided her with scenarios on how to trick her parents into allowing him to visit.

In 2020, the woman contacted Brand’s then-literary agent, who was also a co-founder of talent agency Tavistock Wood.

A statement given to the PA news agency by Tavistock Wood 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 with Brand.

Another woman claims Brand raped her at his Los Angeles home, while a third claims Brand sexually assaulted her while she worked with him in Los Angeles and threatened legal action if she told anyone about this allegation.

A fourth woman claims she was sexually assaulted by Brand and alleges he was physically and emotionally abusive toward her.

In his video statement, posted online before the allegations were published, Brand said he faced a “litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks.”

The 48-year-old continued: “These allegations relate to the time when I was working in the general public, when I was in newspapers all the time, when I was in the cinema and as I have written extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous.

He continued: “Now, during this period of promiscuity, the relationships that I had were absolutely, always consensual. I was always transparent about it then, almost too transparent, and I am now as well.

“Seeing this transparency metastasized into something criminal, which I absolutely deny, makes me wonder if there is another agenda at play.”

The chair of the Commons culture, media and sport committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage, said MPs would “closely monitor” the response to the allegations against Brand.

“The Sunday Times has reported very serious and disturbing allegations against Russell Brand. In another story of alleged exploitation of power within the television industry, his behavior has been called an ‘open secret’ by those in his orbit,” she said.

“The Committee on Culture, Media and Sport wants to understand the police’s reaction to all the evidence collected. We will closely monitor the responses of the media, particularly our public service broadcasters, to these allegations, and consider the questions this once again raises about the culture of the industry as a whole.

During his career, Brand rose to prominence as host of the Big Brother spin-off show Big Mouth for three years until 2007.

In a statement, Channel 4 said: “Channel 4 is dismayed to learn of these deeply disturbing allegations, including behavior allegedly taking place in programs made for Channel 4 between 2004 and 2007.

“We are determined to understand the full nature of what happened. We have carried out extensive documentary research and found no evidence to suggest that the alleged incidents were brought to the attention of Channel 4.

“We will continue to review this situation in light of any additional information we receive, including the stories of those affected.”

The channel added that in the years since the alleged incidents there have been “significant changes” within Channel 4 and it now has a “zero tolerance approach to unacceptable behavior and has of a strong code of conduct,” she added.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, Brand previously said he had no regrets regarding his past sexual behavior, claiming to have had intimate relationships with hundreds of women in the past.

In 2008, Brand made headlines for his prank on BBC Radio 2, now known as Sachsgate, when he and guest Jonathan Ross left an “obscene” voicemail for Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs – died in 2016 – about his granddaughter.

A BBC spokesperson said: “Russell Brand has worked for a number of different organisations, including the BBC. As everyone knows, Russell Brand left the BBC after a serious editorial failure in 2008 – just like the then controller of Radio 2.

“The circumstances of the violation were examined in detail at the time. We hope this demonstrates that the BBC takes the issues seriously and is prepared to take action.

“We will always listen to people if they raise concerns, on any matter relating to anyone working at the BBC, past or present.”

Brand was married to American pop star Katy Perry from 2010 to 2012, but is now married to Laura Gallacher, the sister of presenter Kirsty, and the couple have two children, Mabel and Peggy – with a third on the way.

On Saturday, Kirsty reposted Brand’s video on her Instagram Story, complete with a large red love heart, but the post appeared to have subsequently been deleted.

In recent years, Brand has apparently become a prominent conspiracy theorist, most notably during his appearance on Newsnight with Evan Davis when he said he was open-minded about whether the 9/11 terrorist attacks were faked by the American government.

With nearly seven million subscribers on YouTube, Brand has used social media to cover trending topics, including alleged misinformation regarding the Covid-19 pandemic and being openly skeptical of the vaccine.

Some of the most popular videos on Brand’s channel suggest a global Covid-19 cover-up and the Great Reset conspiracy theory which claims a global elite is using the pandemic to force radical social change.

His new live comedy show, Russell Brand Bipolarization, has three dates left in September.