The BBC has issued an apology to staff who did not feel they could not speak up with concerns about Russell Brand’s behaviour because he was seen as too influential.
BBC director of editorial complaints and reviews Peter Johnston said on Thursday that he had investigated eight complaints about Brand during his review. Two of the complaints were made while Brand was employed by the BBC and only one of the eight was raised formally.
The BBC launched the investigation after allegations in 2023 from several women who claimed the 49-year-old actor and comedian had sexually assaulted them or abused them emotionally.
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Johnston said: “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.”
The BBC said that those who had experienced the incidents felt that Brand “would always get his way and therefore they stayed silent”.
The actor and comedian, 49, has denied all accusations, and has maintained that his sexual relationships were “absolutely always consensual”.
The BBC’s apology came as it published the findings of an internal review into Brand’s time as a presenter for BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music between 2006 and 2008.
The formal complaint was made in relation to Brand urinating into a cup and behaving aggressively during his Radio 2 show. The BBC has now admitted it was “not dealt with effectively”.
The report stated that many of those interviewed for the internal investigation “believed, rightly or wrongly, that Russell Brand would always get his way and therefore they stayed silent” and “had the support of the station management”.
Although one informal complaint was also made, the report said “it is clear that there were other concerns but those involved felt unable or unwilling to raise these at the time as they felt the concerns would not be taken seriously and the systems for making complaints were not as clear as they are now”.
The review also found that Brand had consensual sex with a competition winner from his 6 Music show on BBC premises.
The person told the review team that although the sex was consensual they now felt “Brand had abused his position and taken advantage of them”.
Management failings and a lack of systems played a major part in the BBC failing to address Brand’s behaviour, the report stated.
Channel 4, where Brand also worked as a presenter, released its own internal review findings in March 2024. Its boss apologised to a former employee after the probe found it had not investigated a “serious” complaint made against the star in 2009.
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In November 2024 the Metropolitan Police sent the Crown Prosecution Service a file of evidence relating to Brand’s alleged behaviour, but prosecutors have not yet decided whether to bring charges.
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