A BBC probe into Russell Brand's conduct during his stint with the corporation has unearthed that a number of staff "felt unable to raise" concerns about the presenter, convinced he "would always get his way and therefore they stayed silent".
The 49-year-old actor and comedian, who made a surprise appearance at Donald Trump's inauguration, has knocked back the claims, insisting in the past that all his romantic liaisons were "absolutely always consensual".
Fast forward to September 2023, and a bombshell investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches revealed that four women had accused him of sexual assaults from 2006 to 2013. On Thursday (January 30), the Peter Johnston review said that it had investigated eight complaints about Brand, but only one was ever officially lodged.
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."
He added: "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."
He also noted: "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)."
He went on: "The processes for raising any concerns were also not as developed as they are now."
The BBC stated: "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."
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