An investigation by the BBC of allegations against the comedian Russell Brand when he was one of its radio presenters blamed inadequate management for mishandling what the broadcaster called “unacceptable behavior.” The BBC also said that staff members did not raise concerns about Brand because they felt that he would get his way and that they would be punished.
The BBC released a report on Thursday about the internal investigation, which began in 2023 after four women accused Brand of sexual assault in other settings. The BBC said it looked into eight complaints against Brand, two of which were raised while he was employed there between 2006 and 2008.
“There should have been better systems in place to ensure that Russell Brand’s unacceptable behavior was promptly picked up and addressed and that all of those involved felt able to raise any concerns,” the report said.
Brand did not participate in the investigation by the BBC and did not respond to its proposed findings, the broadcaster said. He is currently being investigated by London’s Metropolitan Police and has denied all allegations of sexual assault.
The report, which was written by Peter Johnston, the BBC’s director of editorial complaints and reviews, says that 39 people were interviewed and provided details of several encounters involving Brand.
It says that Brand “tucked his fingers down” a co-worker’s “trousers and underwear”; that he followed a woman who was not a BBC employee into a bathroom and showed her his penis; and that he had sex with someone who was visiting the BBC after winning a radio contest. The person said that the sex was consensual but that Brand “had abused his position and taken advantage of them.”
In one of the complaints registered during his tenure, a staff member said that Brand urinated into a bottle and angrily threw objects at a screen while recording an episode. Though the incident was formally reported to the employee’s manager, the investigation found that “nothing came of it.” The nature of the second such complaint was not provided.
Many of Brand’s co-workers were upset by his behavior, the report says, but “felt that there was no point in complaining as they believed they would not be listened to.” Because Brand was considered a “high-profile presenter,” they said, they believed that he “had the support of the station management.”
Lisa Nandy, the British culture minister, called the allegations against Brand “horrendous” in a statement.
“For too long, there has been a culture of silence in the media industry where inappropriate behavior like Brand’s has been tolerated or downplayed,” she said. “The BBC, and the wider industry, must now urgently consider what more they can do to make sure that abuse and harassment by anyone, no matter who they are, is not tolerated in any of their workplaces.”