Russell Brand walked around Channel 4 colleagues naked whilst presenting shows for the broadcaster but his behaviour was indulged as ‘Russell being Russell’, investigation finds

Russell Brand often walked around him Channel 4 colleagues naked while presenting programs for the broadcaster, but his behavior was dismissed as ‘Russell Being Russell’, an investigation has heard.

The TV star is also accused of making the women he worked with feel uncomfortable and asking runners to obtain the phone numbers of female spectators.

Brand often wore only his underwear in his dressing room, according to research commissioned by television company Endemol, for whom the presenter worked from 2004 to 2008.

No formal complaints were filed at the time and informal complaints filed by junior employees “were not escalated or adequately addressed at the time,” according to a summary of the investigation by law firm Lewis Silkin.

It added that staff, particularly junior staff, felt they could not raise concerns about Brand because he was considered ‘talent’.

Russell Brand photographed the presentation of Big Brother’s Little Brother in 2006. He walked naked around his Channel 4 colleagues while presenting programs for the broadcaster, an investigation has revealed.

Brand pictured in Los Angeles in 2019. The TV star is also accused of making women he worked with uncomfortable and asking runners to get the phone numbers of female spectators

The presenter pictured on Big Brother 7 in 2006

They were also hampered by the fear that they would lose their jobs, and by the perception that the presenter’s actions were tolerated by senior colleagues.

Two witnesses reported being aware of an allegation that Brand, who presented Big Brother’s Big Mouth for Endemol, made the crew wait outside his dressing room while he masturbated. The times reports.

However, the investigation found no “evidence that any formal or informal complaint has been made in this regard.”

The report found that the presenter, who also fronted Endemol shows including Kings of Comedy and Big Brother’s Celebrity Hijack, had had consensual sexual relationships with several colleagues, including at least one junior crew member.

It was also discovered that Brand had relationships with members of the public.

The investigation found no evidence that colleagues were aware of Brand’s sexual relationship with a runner, who has since claimed the presenter exposed himself to her in 2004.

The investigation not only looked at Brand’s behavior, but also at the extent to which Endemol executives were aware of alleged misconduct and security procedures at the time.

It found that there was ‘no clear escalation process in place during the relevant period and minimal training was provided on ‘respect in the workplace’, the code of conduct or ethical practices’.

Banijay UK, which now owns Endemol, launched the investigation in September after Brand was accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse.

The presenter denied all allegations and described his relationships as ‘absolutely always consensual’, adding that such accusations were ‘very, very hurtful’.

Patrick Holland, executive chairman of Banijay UK, apologized to all those affected and those who may have felt unable to speak about their experiences.

He added that support and escalation procedures had not been properly followed and that they had since improved their protocols, along with others in the industry.

Brand speaks to protesters in Parliament Square in 2015

Brand (photo, in Los Angeles in 2018), who presented shows on Channel 4 from 2004 to 2008, made by Endemol, also often wore only his underwear in his dressing room, according to the research commissioned by the television company.

It was also discovered that Brand had relationships with members of the public

The report comes nine months after investigators from The Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4 conducted interviews with Endemol and Banijay employees and reviewed documents while analyzing Brand’s behavior.

The broadcaster apologized to a former employee in April after a “serious and concerning” allegation it made against Brand in 2009 was not properly investigated.

The BBC confirmed it had received five complaints about Brand, who presented radio shows for the broadcaster from 2006 to 2008.