The BBC has serious questions to answer on Russell Brand

The Daily Telegraph · Telegraph View · 2026-11-06 06:30 UTC

A deeply worrying pattern of scandals involving the Corporation’s stars has emerged

Russell Brand’s conviction for rape and sexual assault is primarily a vindication of the women who had the courage to speak out against him and, in many cases, have waited years for justice. But it also raises serious questions for the BBC, the institution that made him a star.

Brand’s sexual behaviour was hardly a secret to the Corporation: it formed a key part of his persona and act. He discussed his conquests on air, twisted them into stand-up routines, and even bragged live on BBC radio that he wanted to drag a woman into a lavatory cubicle. Brand has even claimed that Lesley Douglas, the then controller of Radio 2 and 6 Music, “loved me and gave me lots of room – so I took that room” during the mid-2000s. By his own account, this included allowing him to use the BBC’s disabled lavatories for sex with 6 Music competition winners.

Far from being reined in, Brand’s vulgarity arguably saw him win lucrative work in a misguided attempt to appeal to younger audiences. Brand appeared to be hiding in plain sight. Yet, a 2023 BBC internal review found that five separate complaints about Brand had been raised with BBC bosses, and that the institution had missed a string of opportunities to deal with his increasingly outrageous behaviour.

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