Russell Brand
The 2023 investigation into the comedian and broadcaster, the BBC and Channel 4 reviews that followed, and the criminal case in London, where he denies rape and sexual assault charges.
37 developments, 2023–2026, oldest first.
2023
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Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches report rape and sexual assault allegations against Russell Brand
A joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches published allegations from four women of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013, during Brand's period as a star of BBC and Channel 4 programming. Brand denied the allegations, saying his relationships were consensual.
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Banijay UK opens urgent internal investigation into Brand's conduct on Endemol shows
Banijay UK, which owns Endemol, the producer of Big Brother's Big Mouth and other shows Brand hosted, announced an urgent internal investigation into the allegations of misconduct.
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Scotland Yard receives report of alleged 2003 sexual assault in Soho after Brand reporting
The Metropolitan Police said it received a report of a sexual assault allegedly committed in Soho in 2003, following the Times and Dispatches investigation, and urged other potential victims to come forward. Channel 4 had also opened an internal investigation and removed Brand's content from its streaming service.
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YouTube suspends Russell Brand's channel from earning ad revenue
YouTube suspended monetisation on Brand's channel, which had millions of subscribers, citing its creator responsibility policy after the allegations surfaced. Brand continued to deny wrongdoing.
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BBC launches review of Brand's time at the corporation and removes some of his content
The BBC announced a review of complaints about Brand's conduct while he presented on Radio 2 and 6 Music between 2006 and 2008, and removed some of his programmes from iPlayer and BBC Sounds.
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Channel 4 investigating Brand's time at the channel; says no evidence so far of complaints reaching management
Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon said the broadcaster's internal investigation had so far found no evidence that alleged incidents were reported to management at the time, as Channel 4 and the BBC pulled Brand's content from their platforms.
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Metropolitan Police opens investigation into several non-recent sexual offence allegations
The Met confirmed it had received a number of allegations of non-recent sexual offences in London and elsewhere following the media investigation and had launched an inquiry. No arrests had been made and Brand denied the allegations.
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Film extra sues Brand and Warner Bros in New York over alleged assault on Arthur set
An anonymous extra filed suit in New York State Supreme Court alleging Brand exposed himself and sexually assaulted her in a bathroom during the 2010 filming of Arthur; Warner Bros and production companies were also named as defendants. The defendants deny the allegations.
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BBC says two more people have come forward with complaints about Brand
The BBC told MPs its review had received two further complaints about Brand's behaviour during his time at the corporation, and that the information had been passed to police.
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Brand reportedly interviewed under caution by police over three non-recent sexual offences
The Metropolitan Police said a man in his 40s, reported to be Brand, was interviewed under caution about three alleged non-recent sexual offences. He was not arrested.
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Brand questioned again by London police over six further alleged offences
UK media reported that Brand was interviewed a second time by Metropolitan Police officers, this time about six more alleged sexual offences. He continued to deny all wrongdoing.
2024
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Channel 4 review finds 2009 complaint against Brand was not escalated; CEO apologises
Channel 4's internal review found no evidence staff knew of the Dispatches allegations beforehand, but chief executive Alex Mahon apologised to a former employee whose serious 2009 complaint about Brand was neither escalated nor properly investigated.
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Banijay UK investigation finds concerns about Brand on Endemol shows were not escalated
An investigation by law firm Lewis Silkin found informal concerns about Brand's conduct on Endemol-produced Channel 4 shows reached senior staff but were not escalated or adequately addressed, and that Endemol lacked clear escalation routes and conduct training.
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Met passes evidence file on Brand to prosecutors for charging decision
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed it had received a file of evidence from the Metropolitan Police, which had interviewed Brand three times, and was considering whether to bring charges. Brand denied the allegations.
2025
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BBC review finds staff felt unable to complain about Brand; corporation apologises
A BBC review of Brand's 2006-2008 tenure at Radio 2 and 6 Music examined eight complaints, found the only formal one at the time was handled ineffectively and that compliance checks failed, and concluded staff felt unable to speak up. The BBC apologised to those affected.
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Russell Brand charged with rape, oral rape, indecent assault and sexual assault
The CPS authorised charges against Brand of one count of rape, one of oral rape, one of indecent assault and two of sexual assault, involving four women between 1999 and 2005. Brand denied the allegations and said he would defend himself in court.
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New York judge refuses to pause Arthur lawsuit; Warner Bros offers film outtakes
In the New York civil case brought by an Arthur extra, a judge rejected Brand's request to delay proceedings because of the UK criminal case, and Warner Bros Discovery said it held hours of outtake footage. Both defendants deny the claims.
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Brand makes first court appearance in London and is granted conditional bail
Brand appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court, confirmed his details and was granted conditional bail, with the case sent to Southwark Crown Court. He denies all charges.
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Brand pleads not guilty at Southwark Crown Court; trial set for June 2026
Brand entered not-guilty pleas to all five charges and a trial expected to last several weeks was scheduled for June 2026.
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Brand charged with one further count of rape and one of sexual assault involving two more women
The CPS authorised two additional charges, one of rape and one of sexual assault, relating to two further women and alleged offences in 2009. The Met said its investigation remained ongoing; Brand denies wrongdoing.
2026
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Brand appears by video link from US on two new charges and is bailed
Brand appeared by video link at Westminster Magistrates' Court on the additional rape and sexual assault charges and was granted bail to appear at Southwark Crown Court.
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Brand pleads not guilty to additional rape and sexual assault charges
At Southwark Crown Court, Brand denied the two charges added in December 2025, bringing the total to seven counts involving six women, all of which he denies.
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Judge moves Brand trial to October 2026 so all seven charges can be heard together
Mr Justice Bennathan moved the trial from June to 12 October 2026, citing time pressures and juror availability, with all seven charges to be tried together over an estimated two months. Brand denies all the charges.
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Brand trial opens at Southwark Crown Court with jury selection
Jury selection began in Brand's trial on three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault involving six women between 1999 and 2009. Brand, who is on bail, denies all charges.
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Jury sworn in for Russell Brand rape and sexual assault trial
A jury was sworn in after the judge excluded potential jurors who had seen coverage of the allegations and told them not to research the case. Brand firmly denies all seven charges.
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Prosecution opens case, describing Brand as a calculated and manipulative predator
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC told jurors six women who did not know each other would describe alleged assaults at a hotel, workplaces including broadcasters, a bar and Brand's home. Brand denies all charges and has told police encounters were consensual or that he does not recall them.
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First complainant tells jury Brand raped her after 1999 Labour conference event
The jury watched the police interview of the first complainant, who alleges Brand raped her in her hotel room in Bournemouth in 1999, before she gave evidence from behind screens. Brand denies the charge.
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Defence challenges first complainant's memory as jury is shown 1999 hotel photos
Defence barrister Ian Winter KC suggested the first complainant had reimagined a consensual encounter and questioned discrepancies in her account, using photos she took in the hotel room; she rejected his suggestions. Brand denies the charge.
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Second complainant says Brand tried to drag her into toilets at MTV in 2001
A former MTV Europe worker testified that Brand grabbed her arm and tried to pull her into the men's toilets before she freed herself; the defence called it a brief, minor incident. Brand denies the indecent assault charge.
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Former flatmate tells trial sex was a preoccupation for Brand in the late 1990s
A former flatmate and member of Brand's cabaret troupe gave evidence about the 1999 Bournemouth trip, describing Brand as egotistical and recalling he did not return with the group one night. Brand denies all charges.
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Third complainant alleges Brand orally raped her in a Soho bar toilet in 2004
A former MTV worker told the jury Brand groped her within a minute of meeting at a London bar in 2004 and then pulled her into a toilet where she says he forced a sex act on her; her 2023 police interview was played. Brand denies the charges.
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Defence tells third complainant the alleged toilet assault was physically impossible
Under cross-examination, Ian Winter KC suggested the woman went willingly with Brand, that others would have seen any assault, and that she only called it rape after the 2023 coverage; she disputed his account. Brand denies the charges.
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Jury hears from sixth complainant as Brand trial turns to alleged assault at his home
Prosecutors began presenting the allegations of a sixth woman, playing parts of her police interview in which she says an encounter at Brand's home turned non-consensual a week after consensual contact. Brand denies all seven charges.
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Fourth complainant tells Brand trial of alleged assault at Choice FM studios
A former radio station worker testified that Brand sexually assaulted her at Choice FM's London studios in the mid-2000s and said the workplace culture deterred her from reporting it. Brand denies the charge.
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Channel 4 worker tells trial she reported Brand to the broadcaster in 2009
A woman who worked on a Channel 4 project in 2009 testified that she was pressured into massaging Brand, who then laid his head in her lap, and that she reported it to her line manager the next day. Brand denies the sexual assault charge; Channel 4 had earlier apologised for failing to investigate a 2009 complaint.
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Jury sees police interview of woman alleging rape at Brand's Hampstead home in 2009
Jurors watched the recorded police interview of a woman who met Brand after a Hammersmith Apollo show in 2009 and says consensual sex at his home became non-consensual when he did not stop; police photos of the house were shown. Brand denies the rape charge.
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Defence cross-examines youngest complainant over alleged 2009 rape at Brand's home
Brand's barrister argued the woman's admiration for him clouded her judgement and that his conduct was not rape; she maintained she did not consent. Brand denies all charges.