BBC says ‘no place for abuse of power’ after Russell Brand guilty verdicts

Carla Feric, Press Association Entertainment Reporter

The BBC has said “there can be no place for the abuse of power” as it reiterated its public apology following the conviction of former Radio 2 presenter Russell Brand.

The 51-year-old is facing a lengthy prison sentence after being found guilty of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others during his showbusiness career.

Following his convictions, a BBC spokesperson said: “Firstly, the thoughts of everyone at the BBC are with the brave women who came forward and told their stories which led to a conviction in this case.

“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.

“We published a detailed report in January 2025 into how complaints about Russell Brand’s conduct were handled. This looked at eight allegations of misconduct while he worked here between 2006 and 2008.

“It was of great concern to us that some people felt unable to raise concerns about Brand’s behaviour. We apologised to those impacted, for both the culture and failings at the time, and we reiterate that apology again today.”

Brand joined the BBC in 2006 to host The Russell Brand Show on Radio 6 Music, before the programme moved to Radio 2.

He left the broadcaster in 2008 following the “Sachsgate” scandal, when he and fellow presenter Jonathan Ross left a series of sexually explicit messages on actor Andrew Sachs’ answerphone during a pre-recorded show.

Brand’s broadcasting career began with MTV in the early 2000s, fronting programmes including Dancefloor Chart and Select.

On Thursday, Brand was found guilty of groping a woman during a party of his former MTV colleagues at a Soho bar in 2004, although he was found not guilty of going on to orally rape her in a toilet.

The Press Association has approached MTV for comment.

Brand also worked with Channel 4, which gave him his major television break in 2004 when he was chosen to host Big Brother’s Big Mouth.

And on Thursday, he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a worker at the television station during a forced massage in 2009.

But it was a Dispatches investigation for Channel 4 in September 2023, alongside The Times and Sunday Times, that led to the women coming forward to complain and ultimately the four convictions.

Following Thursday’s verdict, Louisa Compton, Channel 4’s director of news, digital and audience trust, said: “The outcome of the Russell Brand trial belongs to all of the women who had the courage to speak out – all of those who participated in the criminal process and those different women who shared their testimony in the original Channel 4 Dispatches and The Sunday Times and The Times investigation.

“The trial heard that women involved in the criminal case came forward after seeing the Channel 4 Dispatches film.

“It is a powerful demonstration of why fearless, independent, investigative journalism in the public interest matters. We remain profoundly grateful to every woman who trusted the Channel 4 reporting team.”

During the trial, Brand’s former associate, Jack Bayles, was accused of being involved in forcing a Channel 4 worker to massage the comedian, in an interaction where Brand went on to sexually assault her.

The victim told the court that members of Brand’s entourage had encouraged the forced massage, and not intervened when the sexual assault happened.

Mr Bayles, who produced a number of Brand’s comedy projects between 2007 and 2010, has not responded to a request for comment.