The BBC faced accusations of "passing the buck" regarding comedian Russell Brand's conduct during his tenure with the corporation. Newly surfaced information suggests Brand boasted about his bosses being "incredibly tolerant" of his behavior and openly made jokes about sexual violence, including rape and having sex with children.
Brand claimed in his memoir, "Booky Wook 2," that Lesley Douglas, the BBC's controller of Radio 2 and 6 Music in the 2000s, "loved me and gave me lots of room, so I took that room." He alleged this tolerance allowed him to engage in inappropriate activities, such as using BBC disabled toilets for sex with female competition winners and interacting intimately with a newsreader.
An internal BBC review reportedly found eight complaints about Brand's misconduct, including two during his employment between 2006 and 2008, none of which resulted in action. Employment lawyer Sinead Haysom commented that the BBC's initial response, emphasizing Brand's work with multiple organizations, appeared to be an attempt to deflect responsibility.
Further details emerged regarding Brand's public comments. In a 2013 interview on Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast, Brand joked about raping a woman and killing her, and made remarks about the ancient Greeks having sex with children. He also allegedly mimed having sex with homeless people and stubbing cigarettes on them during a discussion about his tour promotion.
This comes as Brand has been convicted of rape and other serious sexual offenses. The BBC issued a statement acknowledging the allegations and the courage of the women who came forward. A BBC spokesman stated, "There can be no place for the abuse of power. Across the industry, we must work together to ensure that anyone who suffers at someone else's hand feels able to report it, that their concerns are taken seriously and that they are listened to." The corporation reiterated its apology for past failings.
The BBC has a history of presenters facing serious sexual offense charges, including Rolf Harris, Stuart Hall, Jonathan King, and more recently, Huw Edwards. The corporation stated its January 2025 report detailed how complaints about Brand's conduct were handled and acknowledged that some individuals felt unable to raise concerns at the time.