BBC issues major apology to staff after Russell Brand inquiry

The BBC has published the results of their investigation into scandal-hit Russell Brand – who denies all allegations against him, with the corporation issuing an apology

The BBC has apologised to staff after their internal Russell Brand investigation.

The apology came as the BBC 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 49-year-old was accused of rape, assault and emotional abuse as part of a joint investigation by Channel 4's Dispatches programme, The Times and Sunday Times last year. Brand has strongly denied all accusations alleged to have taken place at the height of his fame between 2006 and 2013.

Now, the license-payer funded corporation has addressed their review and stated that all evidence was looked into "methodically". They added that the review had been carried out with the "greatest care" and thanked individuals for speaking up on such a distressing topic.

In a statement, shared on their website, the BBC said: "The review considered eight complaints of misconduct about Russell Brand, only two of which were made while he was engaged by the BBC, one formally and one informally. It is of great concern that some of these individuals felt unable to raise concerns about Russell Brand’s behaviour at the time, and the BBC has apologised to them as part of this review.

"It is also clear that there were compliance inadequacies on some of Russell Brand's Radio 2 shows which led to content being aired that would not be broadcast today. Russell Brand left the BBC in 2008 following a high-profile editorial breach. As has been reported, there is an ongoing police investigation into Russell Brand. The BBC has been in contact with the Metropolitan police throughout the review and they have seen the report. The BBC acknowledges that Russell Brand categorically denies all public allegations made against him."

On September 19, 2023, the BBC Director General announced that Peter Johnston would be leading a review into the complaints made against Brand. Having completed the review, Johnston stated that he was supported by a variety of teams, including HR, Safety, Security and Resilience, as well as the BBC legal team and an external counsel.

Johnston approached 72 individuals, including current and former staff to speak openly about their own experiences. He revealed that out of the 72 approached, he and his team spoke to 39 individuals. He also approached Russell Brand to share his side of the story however, the broadcaster failed to accept the invitation and noted that despite his refusal to participate, Johnston provided Brand and his legal team with the information about the findings. This was also ignored.

Concluding his investigation, Johnston stated: "This review is clearly based on events which took place more than 15 years ago, but demonstrates that the issue of power hierarchies in creative teams and the role of presenters is something which the BBC should continue to closely monitor. I think there are lessons from this review – particularly about the influence of presenters - which I will ensure are fed into the current BBC Culture Review."

Now, the BBC has introduced new changes, including for all pre-recorded non-news programmes, participants will now submit a compliance form. "On top of these changes, the senior management team will actively consider any other actions which can build on and improve our processes for handling concerns," the corporation said.

Speaking previously to address the claims, Brand said: "I deny any allegations, that have been advanced. I reject the allegations in the strongest possible terms." he later went on to tell Carlson Tucker that the crimes he had been accused of committing were "appalling" and a "deliberate profound attempt to shut down any dissent in an astonishingly aggressive way."

Brand went on to say that his behaviour and being "very, very promiscuous" placed him in a "vulnerable position." When the claims first came to light in September 2023, he also faced allegations of controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, the comedian and actor said: "I've received two extremely disturbing letters or a letter and an email. One from a mainstream media TV company, one from a newspaper listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks, as well as some pretty stupid stuff like community festival should be stopped, that I shouldn't be able to attack mainstream media narratives on this channel. But amidst this litany of astonishing rather baroque attacks, often very serious allegations that I absolutely refute."

He added: "What I seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations. Also, it's worth mentioning that there are witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narrative that these two mainstream media outlets are trying to construct, apparently, in what seems to me to be a coordinated attack. Now, I don't wanna get into this any further because of the serious nature of the allegations, but I feel like I'm being attacked and plainly they're working very closely together. We are obviously going to look into this matter 'cause it's very, very serious. In the meantime, I want you to stay close, stay awake, but more important than any of that, if you can, please stay free."

If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.

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