BBC apologises to staff over handling of Russell Brand complaints
The BBC has apologised to staff who felt unable to raise concerns about Russell Brand’s behaviour during his time working for the broadcaster.
The corporation said eight complaints of misconduct had been considered – only two of which were made during the presenter’s time there.
It also acknowledged it was “clear” some presenters had been able to abuse their positions in the past.
Brand, 49, has strongly denied any allegations against him and previously said all his sexual relationships were “absolutely always consensual”.
The apology came as the BBC released the findings of an internal review of its handling of complaints, which cost £662,000 and involved interviews with 39 individuals. This focused on the comedian’s work for 6 Music and Radio 2 between 2006 and 2008.
BBC director of editorial complaints and reviews Peter Johnston, who carried out the investigation, found there were many staff who felt “unable to raise” concerns and believed Brand “would always get his way and therefore they stayed silent”.
Pic: AP
The review looked into reports the presenter allegedly urinated “into cups or bottles while in the studio, throwing objects, allegations of sex on the premises including with competition winners, and exposure while in the studio in front of staff and guests”.
It also investigated a complaint made by a woman working in the same building as the BBC’s office in Los Angeles. She claimed Brand flashed her in 2008, and later laughed about the incident on his radio show.
Mr Johnston said the “culture of the time undoubtedly influenced what was acceptable/tolerated” but that “the processes for raising concerns were also not as developed as they are now”. The BBC has since improved these processes, he said.
Brand was asked to participate – ‘but did not accept’
Russell Brand joined the BBC as a regular presenter for 6 Music in April 2006 and joined Radio 2 in November that year. He had a regular show on the station until he left in 2008 over a “high-profile editorial breach” – when he made a prank call to Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs.
His hiring was “understood (by those keen to hire him) to be a decision which carried editorial risks, given the nature of his comedy performances and material, but was in line with the strategy of the station at the time” – which was to attract younger audiences and bring in presenters with profile, the review found.
Brand was asked to participate in the review, Mr Johnston said, “but did not accept the invitation”.
The review was carried out after a joint investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches programme, The Times and Sunday Times, published in 2023, in which Brand was accused by four women of sexual assaults and abuse between 2006 and 2013.
‘We know it has not been easy to speak out’
In response to the report, the BBC said that after allegations were raised in 2023, “it was important that this was looked into methodically” and the review had been “conducted with the greatest care”.
Their statement said: “We want to thank the individuals who have participated, as we know that it has not been easy to speak out about some of the issues the review addresses.
“The review considered eight complaints of misconduct about Russell Brand, only two of which were made while he was engaged by the BBC, one formally and one informally. It is of great concern that some of these individuals felt unable to raise concerns about Russell Brand’s behaviour at the time, and the BBC has apologised to them as part of this review.
“It is also clear that there were compliance inadequacies on some of Russell Brand’s Radio 2 shows which led to content being aired that would not be broadcast today. Russell Brand left the BBC in 2008 following a high-profile editorial breach.”
The BBC highlighted an ongoing police investigation into Brand and said it had been in contact with the Metropolitan Police throughout the review.
“The BBC acknowledges that Russell Brand categorically denies all public allegations made against him,” the broadcaster added.
The BBC’s review comes after similar investigations into Brand’s time working on Channel 4 shows including Big Brother spin-offs Big Brother’s Big Mouth and Big Brother’s Celebrity Hijack.
TV production company Banijay UK found that concerns raised informally about his alleged behaviour between 2004 and 2008 were “not properly escalated or adequately addressed“.
A separate Channel 4 investigation found there was no evidence that bosses were aware of any accusations.
In November, the Met Police said they had handed a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
A man in his 40s was interviewed by officers three times under caution in relation to allegations of non-recent sexual offences, the force said at the time.
Sky News has contacted representatives for Brand for comment.
Singer and actress Marianne Faithfull has died at the age of 78.
A spokesperson said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull.
“Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family.
“She will be dearly missed.”
Marianne Faithfull in 1995. Pic: Reuters
Faithfull was best known for her 60s hit As Tears Go By, written by The Rolling Stones’ Jagger and Keith Richards.
She also starred in films including The Girl on a Motorcycle and 2007’s Irina Palm, for which she was nominated for a European Film Award for Best Actress.
In recent years, she provided voice work for the 2021 remake of Dune and 2023’s Wild Summon.
Faithfull in The Girl on a Motorcycle. Pic: Mid-Atlantic/Ares/Claridge/Kobal/Shutterstock
Born in 1946, Faithfull started her singing career in 1964 after being discovered by the Stones’ manager Andrew Loog Oldham.
Her self-titled debut album was released a year later, with As Tears Go By reaching number nine on the UK singles chart.
She went on to have a string of successful singles, including Come and Stay with Me, This Little Bird, and Summer Nights, and famously dated Sir Mick from 1966 to 1970.
Faithfull was prolific throughout the 60s, releasing six albums – some only in the UK and some for the US – as well as contributing backing vocals to the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine and inspiring the Stones’ Sympathy For The Devil.
That decade also saw her star in films like 1967’s I’ll Never Forget What’s’isname – where she was one of the first people to say f*** in a mainstream studio film – 1968’s The Girl on a Motorcycle, and Tony Richardson’s 1969 adaptation of Hamlet.
Her relationship with Sir Mick was notorious, with the couple being arrested in 1968 for possession of cannabis.
She was also infamously found by police wearing only a bear skin rug when they arrived for a drugs raid at Richard’s home in 1967.
Faithfull and Mick Jagger dated from 1966 to 1970. Pic: Shutterstock
After breaking up with the Stones frontman, Faithfull spent two years homeless in Soho while suffering from anorexia and heroin addiction, before she started living in a squat.
She wrote in her 1994 autobiography: “For me, being a junkie was an admirable life. It was total anonymity, something I hadn’t known since I was 17.
“As a street addict in London, I finally found it. I had no telephone, no address.”
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In 1979, following success in Ireland with the country-themed Dreamin’ My Dreams, Faithfull released the Grammy-nominated Broken English – widely considered her best album.
She later achieved critical acclaim as a jazz and blues singer with 1987’s Strange Weather and went to rehab that same decade.
Faithfull performing in Montreux, Switzerland, in 2009. Pic: Jean-Christophe Bott/EPA/Shutterstock
Faithfull released a total of 21 solo albums throughout her career. Her most recent was the spoken word album She Walks in Beauty from 2021, which saw her work with frequent Nick Cave collaborator Warren Ellis.
She made a full recovery from breast cancer in 2006, and fell into a coma after catching COVID-19 early in 2020 before recovering.
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