Dispatches - Russell Brand

He always looks as though he needs a good wash…..

I think this has been an open secret for some time, and that the revelations are no surprise to anyone working in the media. People have been wanting to come forward, but it is very difficult without proof, which is where programmes like Dispatches come into their own.

When it was first announced that the programme was going to be aired it was supposedly going to be about five comedians, and it was made clear that the final footage would be edited until the last minute, which is why there was no announcement of the names. When an exposure like this is planned, the person/people in question are shown the content in advance so that their lawyers can see it and respond. Brand decided to upload a statement to his YouTube channel and on X ahead of the broadcast, so that he could deny it, and his supporters could be rallied before they had even seen the footage.

It's a safe bet that the legal teams of the others will be scrutinising the accusations and that there will be further exposes to come. It really is about time that the rape culture surrounding celebrity is stopped. Of course it is awful that women have to go to the media instead of the police, but if that's the only way to get justice I don't blame them.

There were some complaints BlueBelle but bad behaviour in plain sight wasn't listened to.

It’s going to be like a rolling stone now gathering more and more along the way
Watching some clips of Brand on the news tonight his overt behaviour with women presenters was awful I m amazed there’s been no complaints before now

Agree

The BBC is saying that more women have come forward.

I can't think of any I find funny. Must be me!

Kate1949

Just me I suppose that doesn't find any of today's comedians funny. Not one.

I don't like the nasty, spiteful ones who think it's funny to make fun of others, particularly disabled children.

However, there are some witty comedians still around.
I hope it's not one I like ☹

Just me I suppose that doesn't find any of today's comedians funny. Not one.

His shows have been postponed

Oh dear. I like so many comedians. I've still not recovered from the shock of Huw Edwards. Now what?!

According to the DM he is not the only bad boy comedian. There are five more. This is just the tip of the iceberg and of course the press are having a field day.

A MeToo moment in UK comedy erupted today in the midst of allegations against Russell Brand (centre) - as five more comics were named as potential 'predators'. They are among a so-called 'blacklist' drawn up by female comedians and shared on WhatsApp in an effort to keep them safe from being targeted.

The Met have now received a report of an alledged sexual assault dating back to 2003
www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/sep/18/russell-brand-met-police-receive-report-of-alleged-sexual-assault-in-relation-to-allegations?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Interesting that his ex wife, Katy Perry, has described their 2 year marriage as "really hurtful and controlling and then I found out the real truth, which I can’t necessarily disclose because I keep it locked in my safe for a rainy day." But at least he's got his mates Musk, Tate and Fox to vouch for him. Oh wait......

I agree with GrannyGravy13: such subjects are not for Saturday night entertainment, even if parcelled up as a documentary. Equally I agree that, even if you do not approve of the person, here it is innocent until proven guilty.

His publishers are pausing future all book projects.

Grantanow

Trial by media is disgusting.

As I've said before, he has provided endless amounts of TV evidence himself, so any 'trial by media' is in response to his own dreadful behaviour which we've all witnessed.

Any illegal activity will be decided in court, not by media.

Trial by media is disgusting.

The other things you mention have definitely been reported though. Maybe not on the front pages of the tabloids, but you won't struggle to find today's updates on any of them.

If the documentary stops more women from being victims of predatory men then it has, IMO, succeeded. It was a very difficult watch, and even if some of the behaviour was technically 'legal' it was an abuse of power and indicative of someone with no regard whatsoever for women and a loose interpretation of the nature of consent.

People are avid for this kind of scandal reporting and it sells papers like nothing else. Yesterday it was front page, lead story and four other pages on my electronic version of the DT. I went back and counted them! Today it's front page, lead story and six more pages further in! I'm not interested in him so I didn't get past the sub headings. Thank goodness there's nothing actually important going on* in the world that takes precedence over Russell Brand. War in Ukraine? NHS in crisis? Nope.

*If the allegations are proved to be true, I certainly feel sorry for his victims.

NannyC1

To whoever said "they didn't know why the accusers took so long" I will say this. I was 15yrs old when I escaped a potential gang rape by 3 men that I knew. I didn't say anything because my parents would have blamed me for accepting a lift home. 2 years ago I was sexually assaulted at my retirement do by someone I had worked with.In full view of at least 15 people It took me a year to bring it to the police who believed me because I had photographic evidence. Yes some took photos of it happening. Of the 15 people who saw it only 3 were willing to step forward. It took me a year because I didn't "want to cause trouble!! Maybe Brands accusers felt the same.

I am so sorry to read this, NannyC1, and yes, I think that Brand's accusers will have felt as you describe.

There are always people willing to blame women and girls in cases like this, and always people willing to find excuses for men. We have a long way to go before women get support, even from members of our own sex. I really hope you are ok, and that you did get support when you needed it

I suspect that more will come out about Brand, and that the programme was intended as a catalyst for other victims to come forward. Several of Savile's victims said exactly the same things about the nature of his assaults, and this should have been noted and acted upon. If 'lessons have been learnt' from that, someone will be putting the pieces together and he will get his comeuppance.

RG! Russell Brand

I am obviously in a minority here but I have watched his shows online and he could be very funny, particularly when he was telling self-deprecating jokes. He also seemed to have his heart in the right place regarding social issues, even if his brain wasn't always fully engaged. (I thought he was wrong to advise people not to vote, and deluded to believe that the world would be transformed by spiritual enlightenment.) Someone I know well is an ex-heroin addict and he said Brand talked a lot of sense about addiction.

So I was disappointed that he became another conspiracy theorist, although he has evidently built a considerable following who are very vocal in their support for him . They believe that he is being set up because he challenged those behind the (imaginary) plots.

However, his biggest flaw, in my opinion, was not his cultish opinions but his attitude to women. He has written about his very sleazy behaviour in his younger days, and admitted that it was sleazy, but still seemed to regard the women involved as disposable. He was probably sincere in declaring himself changed by his love for his wife and child, but still seemed amused by his own past behaviour. Some of it sounded quite predatory and even more off-putting than his increasingly right-wing conspiracy theories.

So these allegations don't seem totally surprising. By his own account, he appears to have been a man with a strong sense of entitlement involving sex. But should he be tried in the media in this way? I think not. Surely this is a matter for the police and the courts to decide, and all these tv programmes and newspaper articles won't help to get him a fair trial. The women making the allegations are also going to need a lot of support, as it can't be easy to see yourself vilified as a gold-digger and a liar by people who know nothing about you.

Buttonjugs

We all know that for r* the innocent until proven guilty is a farce.

This is so. Public opinion for this kind of celebrity behaviour will finish you before you ever stand before a Jury. Within a year RG will be totally finished; as we write he is losing jobs and endorsements. I can't see his marriage lasting, because what decent woman would want herself or her daughters to be so tainted by him.

We all know that for r* the innocent until proven guilty is a farce.