Russell Brand allegations show how ‘terrible behaviour towards women was tolerated’ in TV, says Channel 4 boss
Channel 4’s chief executive has described the allegations made against Russell Brand as “horrendous” and said it is clear that “terrible behaviour towards women was historically tolerated” in the TV industry.
Alex Mahon made the comments about Brand as she addressed the Royal Television Society’s Cambridge Convention, scheduled before the allegations of sexual assault emerged at the weekend.
Some of the claims date back to when the comedian was presenting the Big Brother spin-off programme Big Brother’s Big Mouth on Channel 4.
Brand, 48, denies any allegations made against him.
Mahon told the audience at the convention that the alleged behaviour, made public in a joint investigation by The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches, needs to be looked into further.
She urged people with any information to get in touch anonymously if they want to.
“They’re not empty words or gestures,” she said, adding that the broadcaster will look to find out who knew what about any alleged inappropriate behaviour during Brand’s time on the show.
Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon at the RTS Cambridge Convention. Pic: Richard Kendal/RTS
“But what is clear to me is that terrible behaviour towards women was historically tolerated in our industry, and the clips we’ve seen as well provide a rather shocking jolt when one realises what appeared on air not that long ago,” she said.
“The behaviour is less prevalent now, but it’s still a problem and it’s something that we must all confront. There is still more change that needs to come.”
She added: “The allegations made against Russell Brand are horrendous, and as a CEO of Channel 4 and as a woman in our industry.
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“I found the behaviours described in Dispatches and The Sunday Times and The Times articles disgusting and saddening.
“The allegations of course need to be followed up further, and we and the BBC and Banijay [a production company] are busy investigating.”
BBC general director, Tim Davie, who was also speaking at the event, said there needed to be an “important dialogue around the deep imbalances of power” within the television industry.
BBC director-general Tim Davie on stage at the RTS Cambridge Convention. Pic: Richard Kendal/RTS
“I think there’s a deep responsibility for the leaders. The culture needs to be one of trust,” he added.
“There has been deep problems with misogyny, abuse of power, and we just have to be utterly vigilant – be unaccepting of it.”
BBC and Channel 4 remove Brand content
Four women made sexual abuse allegations against the star between 2006 and 2013 as part of the investigation by The Sunday Times and Dispatches.
Brand, who denies the allegations, claimed in a video posted online on Friday night that all his relationships have been “consensual”.
The Metropolitan Police said it received an allegation of sexual assault against Russell Brand dating back to 2003 following the publication of the claims.
On Tuesday, Mr Davie announced a review into Brand’s time at the corporation.
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TV exec: Brand allegations ‘depressing’
The announcement came hours after the broadcaster removed some of its content featuring Brand from iPlayer and BBC Sounds.
TV production firm Banijay UK, owners of Endemol, which produced Big Brother and its spin-offs, confirmed over the weekend that it had launched an investigation.
YouTube also suspended adverts on videos by Brand, while Channel 4 took down content featuring the comedian from its streaming service.
The Google-owned company said it had suspended the monetisation of Brand’s channel for “violating our Creator Responsibility policy”.
The comedian found fame in the early 2000s on the stand-up circuit and as a TV host, before starring in Hollywood films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and presenting a show on BBC Radio 2.
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However, in recent years, he has switched to wellness coaching and producing regular YouTube videos – from which he is thought to derive much of his income.
Brand maintains a presence on Rumble – a video site popular with some conservatives and far-right groups – where his channel has 1.4m followers and X, formerly known as Twitter, where he has more than 11m followers.
He has not posted on either since his video denial on Friday.
‘Pretty depressing’
It comes as a TV executive who worked at a company that hired Brand described the allegations against the star as “depressing”.
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Russell Brand denies ‘serious allegations’
Phil Edgar-Jones was creative director of Remarkable Pictures, part of Endemol UK, and oversaw Big Brother during its Channel 4 years.
Speaking to Sky News, he said: “There was never any sense that he’d done anything inappropriate that was brought to our attention, certainly.
“We knew he had a reputation for being promiscuous – and everybody knew that at the time – but that’s as far as it went, as far as we knew.”
He added that the allegations were “pretty depressing”.
Mr Edgar-Jones, who is now director of Sky Arts and Entertainment, went on to stress that Remarkable Pictures would “100%” have acted if something was brought to its attention.
Removing YouTube earnings is ‘cancel culture’
Brand was at the centre of the so-called “Sachsgate” scandal in 2008, when he and TV presenter Jonathan Ross left lewd messages on the answerphone of Andrew Sachs, the late actor who starred in Fawlty Towers.
The voicemails had related to Sachs’ granddaughter Georgina Baillie, who had an on-off relationship with Brand in the 2000s.
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Evidence against Brand ‘compelling’
Speaking to The Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge, Baillie said that YouTube’s decision to suspend earnings from Brand’s channel amounted to “cancel culture”.
The 38-year-old actress went on to say that, even though she did not know all of the details surrounding the allegations, some of the evidence is “compelling”.
When asked about her thoughts about the claims, Baillie added: “I don’t know what happened there – I don’t know because I wasn’t there. He never did anything like that with me, everything was more than consensual, I promise.”
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A leading wildlife broadcaster has said he will not be drinking “any more” Heineken after the company felled thousands of trees in one of its orchards.
Chris Packham said the decision to cut the trees on land in Monmouthshire near the border between England and Wales was a “tragic waste of a fabulous resource”.
The BBC reported thousands of apple trees had been cut on 300 acres of land at Penrhos Farm.
The company, which owns Bulmer’s, says it plans to sell the land due to a lack of demand for cider and a surplus of apples.
But Chris Packham, best known for presenting series such as Springwatch, told Sky News that the decision to fell the trees was “immoral”.
“In a biodiversity crisis, I would say it’s bordering on unethical and certainly immoral because resources like that ought to be passed on to people who can use them to enrich wildlife and human life,” he said.
Chris Packham . Pic: PA
Mr Packham added that he was currently teetotal and had been drinking one of Heineken’s alcohol-free products.
“I’m not drinking any more of it, because I just think we want companies in our lives that are looking after our planet and our future and our children’s future,” he said.
“They had an opportunity to do that and they’ve just squandered it, I just think it’s really short-sighted.”
The benefits of orchards, according to the Woodland Trust, include the fact fruit trees age quickly which creates deadwood habitats.
‘Disgraceful’
Fellow broadcaster Iolo Williams is calling for a boycott of the company after the “disgraceful” felling.
“I think that with these big companies, the only way [can make our voice heard] is to boycott them, hit them in the pocket,” he told Sky News.
“Because I do think, I genuinely think, it’s tragic what they’ve done when we could have helped to tackle the biodiversity crisis, the climate emergency, physical and mental health issues.
“All of these could have been helped just by them saying ‘Listen, we’re not going to use it again, why don’t we give it over to the local community?'”
Charles Watson, chair of River Action UK said the catchment of the River Wye needed “every tree and plant available” if its decline had “any chance of being reversed”.
“It is hugely disappointing to see Heineken destroy such a huge volume of natural biomass,” he said.
“Yet again the environment is being sacrificed for corporate profit.”
‘Huge surplus of apples’
A Heineken spokesperson said the company made clear its intention to sell Penrhos Farm, one of two apple farms it owns, in November last year.
“Over a number of years, the cider market has slowed and the yield of apples per acre has increased leading to a huge surplus of apples,” they said.
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The spokesperson added that the apples have “no other use than creating cider”.
“In order to make best use of the land to grow other crops, the bush orchards had to be removed,” they said.
“All the wood is shredded for biomass and the bushes were removed in line with The Wildlife Act.”
The company says it “firmly” remains a cider, beer and pub company and sources all of its apples from around 6,000 acres of orchards in and around Herefordshire.
Line Of Duty actor Brian McCardie has died “suddenly at home” at the age of 59, his family has confirmed.
Best known for playing mafia boss John Thomas ‘Tommy’ Hunter in the TV crime drama, the Scottish star had also recently joined the cast of Outlander prequel, Blood Of My Blood.
His sister confirmed his death on X, writing: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Brian James McCardie, beloved son, brother, uncle and dear friend to so many.
“Brian passed away suddenly at home on Sunday 28th April. A wonderful and passionate actor on stage and screen, Brian loved his work and touched many lives, and is gone much too soon.
“We love him and will miss him greatly; please remember Brian in your thoughts.”
She said funeral arrangements would be announced in the days ahead.
No cause of death was given.
McCardie’s agent, United Agents, paid tribute on social media, writing: “We are shocked and so deeply saddened by the tragic news of Brian McCardie’s sudden death.
“He was an actor of such great talent who we were lucky to represent, and our thoughts are very much with his family and friends at this difficult time.”
A statement from Line Of Duty producers Jed Mercurio and Simon Heath and the team behind the hit show, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of Brian McCardie’s death.
“We feel honoured to have worked with Brian on Line Of Duty. Brian was an incredibly talented actor, and the lasting impact he had as Tommy Hunter is testament to the power of his performance.
“Off screen, Brian couldn’t have been more different from the character he played – he was warm, funny and charming. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this difficult time.”
With a career stretching over three decades, McCardie had appeared in numerous TV shows over the years – but it was his role in Line Of Duty for which he was best known.
Tommy Hunter, a criminal boss turned police informant, was one of the show’s original characters, who met a violent end early on in series two.
But Hunter went on to be mentioned in both series three and series five, and was a key player in the nail-biting police corruption whodunnit.
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McCardie, who grew up Carluke, near Glasgow, appeared in an episode of Outlander, playing Sir Marcus MacRannoch, before being cast as the chief of Clan Grant in the forthcoming Outlander prequel.
The show, which centres around the lives of Outlander character Jamie Fraser’s parents, is currently filming in Scotland, according to Starz network.
In Rob Roy, McCardie starred as Alasdair MacGregor, the brother of the title character, who was played by Northern Ireland actor Liam Neeson.
His other film parts include the 2013 adaption of Irvine Welsh novel Filth, which starred James McAvoy, and 2003 period drama Mr Barrington.
McCardie also had roles in 2019 Netflix series The Last Czars, along with prison drama Time in 2021, opposite Sean Bean, and Irvine Welsh’s TV series Crime in the same year.
He also appeared in Sky Atlantic’s Domina, set in Ancient Rome, where he played Roman statesman Cicero.
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