BBC Apologizes After Investigation Finds LA Staff “Joked” About Russell Brand Exposing Himself To Woman In Bathroom
The BBC has apologized to individuals who felt unable to raise concerns about Russell Brand’s behavior, as an internal review reveals staff at the UK broadcaster’s LA bureau “joked about” an incident in which the star is alleged to have exposed himself to a woman in a bathroom.
“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,” said the BBC of the just-released investigation carried out by Peter Johnston. “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. ”
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The 15-page review examines the complaints in-depth and questions why they weren’t taken seriously more quickly. Brand’s alleged behavior was exposed by a Channel 4-Sunday Times expose nearly 18 months ago. The comedian, who worked on BBC and Channel 4 shows, has vehemently denied the claims and has said all of his relationships were consensual. Police are investigating.
The Johnston report spotlights an incident in which a woman it calls “Olivia” alleged that Brand followed her into a bathroom and showed her his penis moments before pre-recording a show. He then agreed on-air with the apparently jokey suggestion, made by another individual on-air with him, that he had exposed himself to a woman 25 minutes earlier.
Olivia was only emboldened to formally complain more than 10 years later and Johnston’s report suggested that the incident was “fairly common knowledge” in the BBC LA Bureau for years. “I have heard it was often ‘joked about,’ which is unacceptable for something so serious,” wrote Johnston.
“Olivia is understandably concerned about the management accountability for what happened, disappointed that no-one came back to her in a satisfactory way in 2019 having finally raised the concern and is most concerned about why no-one picked up on the on-air reference in 2008,” added the report. “My finding is that the compliance process in place for pre-recorded shows around the time of the original broadcast did not do what it was supposed to in respect of this episode.”
The incident would have taken place around the time that Brand was ‘cracking’ Hollywood. He starred in hit comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall in 2008 and his career was on an upward trajectory.
Separately, Johnston dealt with the issue of Brand’s use of BBC-booked cars for a woman who alleges she was in a relationship with him aged just 16. Johnston spoke with the woman in question, Alice, along with others, and concluded “it is likely that trips described by Alice were cars pre-booked by the BBC to take Russell Brand to his show on [Radio] 6 Music.”
“If Russell Brand did persuade a taxi or mini-cab pre-booked on his behalf by the BBC to make these journeys, I find that this is likely to have been done without the knowledge of the BBC staff who booked his cars for him in advance and to and from fixed locations,” he added.
Power dynamics at play
Johnston’s review is one of three into Brand alongside probes by Channel 4 and Big Brother producer Banijay, which worked with Brand on Big Brother’s Big Mouth when some incidents are alleged to have taken place.
The report focused on an “apparent power dynamic and hierarchy” at play between Brand and those in charge of his BBC radio shows, with the presenter perceived to be “too influential.”
Brand was believed to have “held great sway” and to have a “direct line” to the then-Controller of Radio 2, who is not named in the report. She “would be expected to back him,” the report added. The Radio 2 controller responded to Johnston by saying “she would have dealt properly with any issues raised with her and she cannot help it if people had that incorrect perception.”
Other issues included Brand’s Radio 2 show being produced by his own production company, the risks of which were “not properly considered and managed,” according to the report.
“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,” Johnston’s report concluded. “Many interviewees believed, rightly or wrongly, that Russell Brand would always get his way and therefore they stayed silent.”
In response to the Brand report, the BBC said “it is clear that presenters have been able to abuse their positions at the BBC in the past.”
Since 2008, it added that it has introduced a specialist case management process to consider serious allegations, launched an anti-bullying and harassment policy and made “significant efforts to centralise and standardise our complaints processes.”
The review cost ￡662,060 ($823,000), the majority of which came from legal fees.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who has been vocal on bad behavior by BBC presenters, said the complaints in the report are “horrendous, as is the fact that staff felt unable to raise concerns.”
“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,” she added.
Bectu Head Philippa Childs said: “The BBC’s acknowledgement that Brand was perceived as too influential for staff to complain about, and that some presenters had been able to abuse their positions, is deeply troubling. It’s critical that people feel safe to raise concerns at work, especially in a sector where power imbalances are particularly extreme.”
Both Channel 4 and Banijay published their Brand investigations last year. Channel 4 said “two new worrying allegations” had been received after the Dispatches investigation aired, while two people had reported that “serious concerns” about his behavior had been in “circulation” when he joined Celebrity Bake Off in 2018. Banijay’s Brand probe also found that concerns were raised about his behavior two decades ago on Big Brother‘s Big Mouth and a rumor had spread about his making crew members wait outside his dressing room whilst he masturbated.
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