A BBC review into the conduct of Russell Brand during his time with the broadcaster has found a number of people ‘felt unable to raise’ concerns about him and believed he ‘would always get his way’.
The review was carried out by Peter Johnston, BBC director of editorial complaints and reviews, and focused on Brand’s behaviour on BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2 between 2006 and 2008.
The actor and comedian, 49, has denied accusations of rape, assault and emotional abuse, and previously said all his sexual relationships were ‘absolutely always consensual’.
In September 2023, a joint investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4 Dispatches revealed four women had accused him of sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013.
The review, which cost £662,060, looked at reports Brand 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’, and on-air comments.
It also investigated management ‘failings’, including his relationship with the then-controller of Radio 2 Lesley Douglas, who resigned over a prank call Brand made to Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs.
Out of the complaints against Brand only one, which related to him urinating into a cup during a Radio 2 show, was registered registered formally at the time, and the BBC had admitted it was ‘not dealt with effectively’.
The employee who made the complaint was described as ‘very disappointed that nothing came of it’ and asked to never work on Brand’s show again.
A BBC review into the conduct of Russell Brand (pictured) during his time with the broadcaster has found people were too scared to raise concerns about the presenter because they believed he ‘would always get his way and therefore they stayed silent’
Brand, 49, is pictured leaving Wembley Park Theatre in November
Unveiling his findings, Mr Johnston said: ‘I am grateful to those who have come forward to talk to me and my team and I have apologised on behalf of the BBC to those most directly affected by what I have documented here.
‘The culture of the time undoubtedly influenced what was acceptable/tolerated, but I have found that a number of individuals had concerns about Russell Brand’s behaviour which they felt unable to raise then.
‘Many interviewees believed, rightly or wrongly, that Russell Brand would always get his way and therefore they stayed silent (and I note here my finding above that the one complaint that was made in 2007 was not dealt with effectively when it was made).
‘The processes for raising any concerns were also not as developed as they are now.
‘In the intervening years the BBC has introduced other mechanisms and routes for staff to raise concerns.’
In response to the report, the BBC said: ‘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.
‘As has been reported, there is an ongoing police investigation into Russell Brand. The BBC has been in contact with the Metropolitan Police throughout the review and they have seen the report.
‘The BBC acknowledges that Russell Brand categorically denies all public allegations made against him.’
The actor, pictured at the launch of Meditation in Education in Los Angeles in 2013, has strenuously denied the allegations
The corporation said ‘it is clear that presenters have been able to abuse their positions at the BBC’, but there have been changes in procedures since 2008 including a special process for the most serious allegations and concerns, and an anti-bullying and harassment policy,
The review investigated an complaint made by a woman working in the same building as the BBC’s office in Los Angeles – in which she claimed in 2008 he flashed her, and later laughed about the encounter on his radio show.
Another allegation looked at a claim made by a woman called ‘Alice’, who alleged BBC cars transported her including from her school to his house, when she was 16 and alleged to be in a relationship with Brand.
Brand has been accused of a string of sex offences including sexual assault and rape by the women, some of whom were teenagers at the time of the alleged incidents.
The first allegations included one woman who claimed that Brand raped her against the wall of his Los Angeles home without a condom in 2013. She was treated at a rape crisis on the same day, according to medical records seen by The Times.
Another woman alleged he sexually assaulted when she was 16-years-old and still at school in the UK.
A third claimed that Brand sexually assaulted her while she worked with him in LA. She alleged she repeatedly told him to get off her and when he finally did he ‘flipped’.
The fourth claimed she was sexually assaulted by Brand in the UK and accused him of being physically and emotionally abusive towards her.
In the wake of the scandal, a fifth woman filed a report to the Metropolitan Police, claiming she was sexually assaulted by the star in Soho, London, in 2003.
