Russell Brand: Informal Concerns Were Raised On ‘Big Brother’s Big Mouth’ & Rumors Spread About Presenter Masturbating In Dressing Room, Banijay Report Finds

deadline.com:

Concerns were raised about Russell Brand‘s behavior two decades ago on Big Brother‘s Big Mouth and a rumor spread about his making crew members wait outside his dressing room whilst he masturbated, according to a Banijay investigation published this morning.

Conducted by legal firm Lewis Silkin, the probe found that concerns regarding Brand’s behaviour were raised informally with senior members of staff, “particularly in relation to him asking runners to obtain phone numbers of audience members and female crew members feeling uncomfortable or intimidated by his behaviour.” Two witnesses told the firm they were aware of rumors of his masturbating, while others stated they had heard this rumor since, although there was no evidence of formal or informal complaints from the time.

When Brand was engaged to work on magazine formats Big Brother’s Big Mouth and Big Brother’s EFourum, the investigation said Channel 4 and producer Endemol (now Banijay) were aware that he was a “recovering drug addict with a reputation for being ‘edgy’.” “No particular safeguards were put in place to protect Brand, those who worked with him or those who otherwise came into contact with him,” it added.

The report is the third to be published into Brand’s behavior since Channel 4 and The Sunday Times published allegations last year that rocked the entertainment world, including from his time on Big Brother’s Big Mouth.