Russell Brand has denied a “litany” of allegations against him that include rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse, however, it’s not the first time he’s been at the centre of a scandal after he prank called Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs in 2008.
The comedian and presenter was on his radio show alongside Jonathan Ross when the vulgar messages about Sachs’ granddaughter were left.
But as these new allegations against Brand surface many critics are asking why he wasn’t ‘cancelled’ when this incident came to light. The BBC is also under fire for not acting sooner.
What did Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross do to Andrew Sachs?
Russell Brand had been in a relationship with Georgina Baillie when he was 30 and she was 20. Georgina was the granddaughter of Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs.
In October 2008, Brand and Jonathan Ross were appearing on Brand’s BBC Radio 2 show. They had attempted to call Andrew Sachs for an interview. But when he didn’t answer they went on to leave four messages on his answerphone.
The first message saw Brand joke about Fawlty Towers and how both he and Sachs had appeared in The Bill. But Ross interrupted in the background to shout out that Brand had “[Bleeped] your granddaughter”.
The next messages saw the men try to apologise for what Ross had said. But they were not taking it very seriously, as the messages continued to be rude and vulgar.
As the radio show was pre-recorded, questions were asked as to why the messages had been broadcast. Andrew Sachs later confirmed he had not given permission for the offending material to air.
Complaints over Russell Brand and Sachsgate pour in
The incident, which came to be know as Sachsgate, received over 18,000 complaint. Even then-prime minister Gordon Brown called the incident “unacceptable”. Brand and Ross were suspended on October 29 as an investigation was conducted.
BBC director general Mark Thompson issued a statement apologising for the incident: “I would like to add my own personal and unreserved apology to Andrew Sachs, his family and to licence fee payers for the completely unacceptable broadcast on BBC Radio 2.” he said.
Jonathan Ross also said it was “a stupid error of judgement on my part” and offered a “full apology.” He was suspended without pay for 12 weeks from all BBC shows.
Russell Brand issued an apology for making the calls. He resigned from Radio 2. The Controller of Radio 2, Lesley Douglas, also resigned following the incident. The BBC received a £150,000 fine from Ofcom.
Andrew Sachs, who died in 2016 following a battle with dementia, said in a 2014 interview: “For all my family, the unpleasant incident that hit the headlines in October 2008 was hugely distressing.
“Their lewd banter was deeply hurtful for me, my wife, our daughter and our granddaughter. It not only caused pain but huge stress to the family.”
Support for Russell Brand
Many celebrities and friends of Ross and Brand came out in support of the pair. Carol McGiffin supported them live on Loose Women. Meanwhile, Noel Gallagher told Radio Ulster that he was “outraged”. He also slammed the idea Brand should have been arrested.
Elsewhere, fans staged a protest outside the BBC.
Georgina Baillie has recently spoken to The Mirror about the incident. She told them her grandfather didn’t speak to her for eight years following the scandal.
She also revealed Brand had apologised and paid for her to go to rehab after she fell into a drink and drug addiction.
Three years sober, Georgina added: “I have complete empathy for anyone who is a survivor of sexual assault – while nothing happened like that to me with Russell, I will always believe survivors.”
New claims against Russell Brand
On Saturday September 16 an article in the Sunday Times accused Russell Brand of rape, sexual assault and abuse by four women. Channel 4 then aired a Dispatches special called Russell Brand: In Plain Sight detailing his behaviour with women.
Brand had earlier uploaded a YouTube video and denied a “litany” of allegations he said were from mainstream media outlets. He insisted his relationships were always consensual.
He said: “I’ve received two extremely disturbing letters. One from a mainstream media TV company listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks.”
The married personality, who is a father of two with wife Laura, went on: “Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks, are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute.”
He added: “These pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream. When I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies. And as I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous.
“During that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual. I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent, and I’m being transparent about it now.
“And to see that transparency metastasised into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question, is there another agenda at play?”
BBC speaks out
In the wake of these new allegations, The Times report suggested: “Many felt the BBC should have been awake to the concerns about Brand’s on-air behaviour well before the Sachsgate scandal.”
However, a BBC spokesperson has said: “Russell Brand worked for a number of different organisations, of which the BBC was one. As is well known, Russell Brand left the BBC after a serious editorial breach in 2008 – as did the then-controller of Radio 2.
“The circumstances of the breach were reviewed in detail at the time. We hope that demonstrates that the BBC takes issues seriously and is prepared to act.
“Indeed, the BBC has, over successive years, evolved its approach to how it manages talent and how it deals with complaints or issues raised.
“We have clear expectations around conduct at work. These are set out in employment contracts, the BBC Values, the BBC code of conduct and the anti-bullying and harassment policy.
“We will always listen to people if they come forward with any concerns, on any issue related to any individual working at the BBC, past or present.”
Read more: Russell Brand accused of rape and sexual assault
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