Channel 4, the British network that helped fuel Russell Brand’s early career, has now launched its own investigation into allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against the actor and TV presenter that emerged in a major revelation last weekend.
In an email to staff revealed by The Sunday timesMedia editor Rosamund Urwin, Channel 4 boss Alex Mahon said it had launched an internal investigation into whether people at the channel were “aware of the alleged behaviour”, adding that it had recently secured its whistleblowing policy and strengthened.
From a joint study by The times, The Sunday times And Channel 4 messagesFour women have come forward with allegations of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse against Brand. He has denied the allegations.
After making his name as a stand-up comic, Brand shot to fame on Channel 4 as the host of the Big Brother spin-off Big Brother’s big mouth in the mid-2000s, after which he hosted his own short-lived shows Russell Brand has problems (which aired on Channel 4’s youth-influenced channel E4) and The Russell Brand Show.
News of the international investigation on Channel 4 comes as the networks have dropped episodes of both Big Brother’s big mouth And The Great British Bake-Off with Brand from its online platform.
“We have removed all content featuring Russell Brand while we investigate the matter,” a representative said. “This includes episodes of The Great British Bake-Off and the Big Brother box sets on which he appeared.
In addition to Channel 4, both the BBC and Banjiay UK, whose Endemol produced Big Brother, have also launched their own investigations.
