Russell Brand news: Comedian accused of rape and sexual assault ahead of Dispatches documentary

The comedian and actor said he “absolutely refutes” the allegations against him, which he did not reveal in detail but referred to as “very, very serious criminal allegations”.

Brand, 48, said the allegations “pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when… I was very, very promiscuous.”

Brand has vehemently denies the allegations and in a video posted online on Friday, stated all of his relationships have been consensual, before accusing the media of a “co-ordinated attack”.

In the clip, the 48-year-old claimed he was facing a “litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks”.

“Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” he said.

“These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies and as I have written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous.”

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

“To see that transparency metastasised into something criminal, that I absolutely deny, makes me question is there another agenda at play.”

Channel 4 said in a statement: “Channel 4 is appalled to learn of these deeply troubling allegations, including behaviour alleged to have taken place on programmes made for Channel 4 between 2004 and 2007.

“We are determined to understand the full nature of what went on. We have carried out extensive document searches and have found no evidence to suggest the alleged incidents were brought to the attention of Channel 4. We will continue to review this in light of any further information we receive, including the accounts of those affected individuals.

“We will be asking the production company who produced the programmes for Channel 4 to investigate these allegations and report their findings properly and satisfactorily to us.

“In the many years since the alleged incidents took place, there has obviously been extensive change in Channel 4’s management and commissioning teams. Today, Channel 4 has a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviour and has a robust Code of Conduct. We require all suppliers to have in place rigorous safeguarding policies and provide whistleblowing support, including Channel 4’s Speak Up facility.

“We are committed to ensuring our industry has safe, inclusive and professional working environments.”

Female comedians reportedly set up onine groups to warn each other of comedians and those who had displayed predatory behaviour within the industry.

Comedian Daniel Sloss told The Sunday Times: “I know for many, many years that women have been warning each other about Russell.”

Another female comedian claimed that Brand was “like the Predator” at parties and that he had once chased her around and bit her face despite her being uncomfortable.

Brand has denied all allegations against him.

A BBC spokesperson said: “Russell Brand worked for a number of different organisations of which the BBC was one. As is well known, Russell Brand left the BBC after a serious editorial breach in 2008 – as did the then controller of Radio 2.

“The circumstances of the breach were reviewed in detail at the time. We hope that demonstrates that the BBC takes issues seriously and is prepared to act.

“We will always listen to people if they come forward with any concerns, on any issue related to any individual working at the BBC, past or present.”

The comedian and the chat show host made several calls to the Fawlty Towers actor, and Brand left a voice message saying he had sex with Sachs’s granddaughter Georgina Baillie.

According to insiders who worked for BBC radio at the time, complaints were allegedly made about Brand’s behaviour to Lesley Douglas, the then controller for Radio 2 and 6 Music.

In December 2007, it is claimed that a complaint was made after “an alarming display of aggression” from Brand, which included him hurling objects and “urinating in a bottle in full view of everyone”.

Earlier that year, he called Jimmy Savile, who suggested they meet if Brand brought a sister. As he does not have a sister, he responded: “I’ve got a personal assistant. And part of her job description is that anyone I demand she greet, meet, massages, she has to do it. She’s very attractive, Jimmy.”

Four years later, Savile would be exposed as one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders.

Brand has denied the allegations against him and said they were “very serious allegations that I absolutely refute”.

Russell Brand’s literary agents removed him from their website after they were approached by The Sunday Times.

In 2020, a woman contacted Brand’s literary agent Angharad Wood, co-founder of Tavistock Wood which is owned by talent agency Curtis Brown, to inform them that Brand had a relationship with her while she was a 16-year-old schoolgirl.

She received a response from Brand’s lawyer dening her allegations and implying “it was almost blackmail”.

After being approached by the newspaper three years later, Brand was removed from the Curtis Brown and Tavistock Wood website.

In a statement on behalf of Tavistock Wood, they 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 to Brand.”

A fourth woman claimed that Brand sexually assaulted her at his home after pinning her down on the bed when they were alone together.

She told The Sunday Times that she had been “screaming so hard” until Brand relented and became “super angry”.

After becoming aware of her allegation, she claims that Brand threatened her with legal action and she feared her career would be affected.

The newspaper reports that three separate sources confirmed she had told them about her allegation at the time.

In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Brand denied the allegations against him and claimed there was a “serious and concerted agenda” against him.

From kisses to jokes about getting women pregnant, Russell Brand has always been a controversial character that many TV show hosts struggled to deal with during interviews.