Big Brother boss who worked with Russell Brand says allegations against comedian are 'depressing'

A TV govt who labored at an organization that employed Russell Brand has described the allegations towards the star as “depressing”.

Phil Edgar-Jones was artistic director of Remarkable Pictures, a part of Endemol UK, and oversaw Big Brother throughout its Channel 4 years.

Speaking to Sky News, he stated: “There was never any sense that he’d done anything inappropriate that was brought to our attention certainly.

“We knew he had a fame for being promiscuous – and everyone knew that on the time – however that is so far as it went, so far as we knew.”

He added that the allegations had been “pretty depressing.”

Mr Edgar-Jones, who’s now director of Sky Arts and Entertainment, went on to emphasize that Remarkable Pictures would “100%” have acted if one thing was delivered to its consideration.

Four girls made allegations of rape and sexual assault towards Brand in a joint investigation by The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches.

Some of the claims date again to when he was presenting the spin-off programme Big Brother’s Big Mouth.

The comic and actor has stated he “absolutely refutes” the allegations towards him – and claimed he’s being attacked by the mainstream media.

Mr Edgar-Jones stated it was troublesome to say whether or not Brand’s on-set behaviour on the time would have been thought to be unacceptable now.

“It’s 20 years ago – I guess, maybe these things get called out a lot more now, for sure. But at the time, it didn’t seem like there was anything untoward that he was doing,” he added.

The govt went on to verify that he’s completely happy to participate within the critiques which are taking place for the time being – with the BBC and Channel 4 launching investigations.

In different developments:

• YouTube has suspended adverts on movies posted to Brand’s account

• Channel 4 has taken down content material that includes the comic from its streaming service

• The BBC has additionally eliminated some Brand content material from iPlayer and Sounds

• Brand’s tour promoters have confirmed that his dwell exhibits have been postponed

• The Metropolitan Police has obtained an allegation of sexual assault towards Brand that dates again to 2003

Read extra:
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Brand was on the centre of the so-called “Sachsgate” scandal in 2008, when he and TV presenter Jonathan Ross left lewd messages on the answerphone of Andrew Sachs, the late actor who starred in Fawlty Towers.

The voicemails had associated to Sachs’s granddaughter Georgina Baillie, who had an on-off relationship with Brand within the 2000s.

Speaking to The Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge, Baillie stated that YouTube’s choice to droop earnings from Brand’s channel amounted to “cancel culture”.

The 38-year-old actress went on to say that, though she didn’t know all the particulars surrounding the allegations, a number of the proof is “compelling”.

When requested about her ideas concerning the claims, Baillie added: “I don’t know what happened there – I don’t know because I wasn’t there. He never did anything like that with me, everything was more than consensual, I promise.”