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Russell Brand arrives at Southwark Crown Court with Laura Brand, his wife | Credit: Press Association / James Manning
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Daisy Graham-Brown
Senior News Reporter
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The BBC has been accused of enabling Russell Brand’s behaviour in the wake of his conviction for rape and sexual assault.
The 51-year-old comedian and actor faces a lengthy prison sentence after he was found guilty of one charge of rape and three of sexual assault yesterday afternoon.
His conviction has piled fresh pressure on the BBC over its failure to control its stars after it emerged Brand had boasted that his boss at the broadcaster was “incredibly tolerant” of his sexual behaviour.
The corporation has already faced intense scrutiny over the actions of former employees, including Huw Edwards and Jimmy Savile.
Liz Kershaw, the radio DJ who spent more than 30 years working for the BBC, accused the corporation of having “enabled Brand’s behaviour”.
Writing for The Telegraph, she said: “Maybe his enablers should finally have been brought to book. Media executives, comedy club promoters. His agent. After all, as Brand once said, ‘people will let you be a nutter as long as they are making money out of it’.”
Read the full story here ➤
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Guy Kelly
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“My life is just a series of embarrassing incidents strung together by telling people about those embarrassing incidents,” Brand once wrote. Pathological candour was a key plank in his schtick, and so many people thought they knew everything about him, whether they wanted to or not.
In reality, for decades in the public eye, Brand has never stopped evading definition. He began as a middling actor, became a feral TV host, evolved into a rock star comic, then a pseudo-intellectual, political revolutionary, unlikely family man and, in recent years, a Christian influencer.
Brand is now remanded in custody and unable to shapeshift any more. Yesterday, the 51-year-old was found guilty on one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault after a three-week trial at Southwark Crown Court. The judge told him that “obviously a custodial sentence of some length will result”.
With that, Brand’s career – whatever was left of it – is surely finished, and the BBC, one of the institutions that made him a star, has questions to answer. Brand will continue to have his acolytes, but after charting the ups and downs of his twisted tale this week, it’s remarkable to think that he’s only now getting his comeuppance.
At least in prison he’ll have plenty of time to talk about himself.
This feature is available only to subscribers.
Continue reading ➤
See our full coverage below:
‘I witnessed the downfall of Brand in court – not even the Bible could save him’ ➤
Liz Kershaw: I worked with Brand’s enablers. They should hang their heads in shame ➤
Nicole Lampert: Russell Brand was hiding in plain sight ➤
Telegraph View: The BBC has serious questions to answer on Russell Brand ➤
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Dominic Lawson
The PM lauds proportional representation, but the US midterms and Israel’s coalition deadlock prove first-past-the-post is our greatest guarantor of accountability
Continue reading ➤
Maureen Lipman
I’m mystified by Kristin Scott Thomas’s part in the John Lewis advert
Continue reading ➤
Jamie Carragher
I am happy Unai Emery is staying at Aston Villa, but Manchester United will always be a bigger club
Continue reading ➤
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• Henry Nowak’s murderer has had his sentence increased by four years after the Court of Appeal heard that he abused the Sikh privilege of carrying a knife.
• The King will serve as monarch in the Caribbean realms only “for as long as they wish”, a senior palace aide has said, and is “fully open” to the nations removing him as head of state.
• Puppies will be protected from Eastern European smuggling gangs in Andy Burnham’s post-Brexit deal with the EU. The carve-out is part of a wider UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement.
• Channel migrants have become a defining battleground in France’s presidential election. Édouard Philippe, the leading centre-Right candidate, has declared that Britain must pay more to tackle crossings.
• Finally, Guinness sales have fallen after cheaper rival stouts undercut its dominance. The slowdown marks a surprise reversal for the beverage, which has enjoyed a boom among younger drinkers.
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Stonewall was granted unusually close access to ministers as Labour developed its controversial conversion therapy bill, The Telegraph can reveal as part of our campaign for the legislation to be scrapped. The charity helped shape the proposals, provided statistics cited in their defence, and pressed for tougher legislation. Gender-critical campaigners say their concerns have been largely ignored, warning the law could leave parents and professionals fearful of speaking openly.
Continue reading ➤
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Britain’s emblem of remembrance is under siege. From Palestinian liveries and Pride flags to far-Right street stunts and pub bouncers turning away veterans, the flower has been dragged into the political crossfire. What was conceived as an apolitical tribute to the fallen is now being seen as divisive.
Continue reading ➤
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Unpaid parking fines, forgotten date nights and a bedroom that’s become a no-go zone. When one half of a couple is always picking up the pieces, romance can quickly turn into resentment. Dr Sally Cubbin and Gillian Johnson Shakespeare explain why love alone isn’t always enough, and how to stop playing parent to your other half.
Continue reading ➤
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At 70, the man once known as Johnny Rotten still remains punk’s truly incandescent star. Chris Harvey meets John Lydon to discuss the ex-Sex Pistol’s soul-baring new book, Archive, the death of his beloved wife, Nora, and what he really thinks happened to Sid and Nancy.
Continue reading ➤
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Many of you have expressed a desire to buy a petrol or diesel model to keep for as long as possible, to avoid having to go electric after 2035. Which are sufficiently robust to be a sound long-term bet? Alex Robbins, our car-buying expert, reveals six cars you can depend on.
For subscribers only ➤
Here is something else you may find interesting this morning:
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Anita Singh
Arts and Entertainment Editor
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Sometimes The Telegraph’s headline writers surpass themselves, and whoever came up with “To Me, Or Not To Me” on a story about Paul Chuckle appearing at the National Theatre deserves a raise.
Chuckle, real name Paul Elliott, will appear in a production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, which opens next month.
“Sixty-three years in the business and it’s my first ever play and, would you believe it, it’s at the National Theatre,” he said. “It’s the first show I’ve done in many, many years without saying, ‘to me, to you’.”
It’s lovely to see this late filip in his career. The Chuckle Brothers’ comedy spirit lives on – if anyone is looking to entertain the grandchildren, don’t follow the advice of the John Lewis ad and clear out their Christmas decorations department to pacify the little brats, but sit them in front of a show called Danny and Mick on CBBC. It’s full of ChuckleVision-style laughs.
For two things to watch, and one to avoid, read on...
Television
Black Doves
★★★★☆
Keira Knightley is back as a glamorous gun-for-hire in the second series of this wildly enjoyable spy caper, maintaining her secret identity as her husband prepares to become prime minister.
Read the full review ➤
Film
Godzilla Minus Zero
★★★★☆
This exhilarating adventure from director Takashi Yamazaki is also a moving meditation on Japan’s postwar history.
Read the full review ➤
Television
Sherlock and Daughter
★★☆☆☆
Sherlock Holmes joining forces with a Native American who arrives at 221B Baker Street believing the detective is her biological father? It’s a mystery that HBO thought this would go down well with British viewers.
Read the full review ➤
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Don’t pull the wool over our eyes
Every weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal Reader Correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories.
Orlando writes...
I will leave it until another newsletter to explain why I still don’t see what’s so great about The Traitors, but it has nothing to do with Claudia Winkleman’s penchant for wool. That, however, was the objection from the folks at Peta, who have urged the presenter to consider adopting a wardrobe that doesn’t require the use of shears.
Telegraph readers were not persuaded by these entreaties. “Claudia Winkleman should be applauded for supporting this homegrown product, as well as promoting a natural fibre that is entirely recyclable,” wrote Peter Hall.
“At 15 per cent organic nitrogen, with a half-life of a year, wool will rot down in the compost heap, helping to deliver rich soil and wonderful vegetable crops. This contrasts with synthetic fibres lying for centuries in a landfill site.”
John Ricketts, meanwhile, pointed out: “Anyone who has seen sheep suffering from flystrike – whereby blowflies lay eggs in their wool, which then hatch into flesh-eating maggots – would support shearing.”
Finally, Avril Wright argued: “Sheep have been a vital part of this country’s economy. Peta should come to Norfolk and see our wonderful churches, built on the back of the wool trade.
“Where is the evidence of suffering when the animals are shorn? I should think there were baas of relief this summer. What should Winkleman be wearing? Man-made fibres are not warm enough in a bitter east wind. We can’t just wear cotton in winter, and furs are frowned upon. Wool is the best warmer.”
As someone with a soft spot for almost impractically heavy jumpers, I’m inclined to agree with that. Are you? Send your responses here, and the best of the bunch will feature in a future edition of this newsletter.
Please confirm in your reply that you are happy to be featured and that we have your permission to use your name.
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1924 | Stanley Baldwin becomes prime minister, naming Winston Churchill as chancellor
1942 | The Church of England drops its mandatory hat-wearing rule for women in church
2003 | Michael Howard takes over as leader of the Conservative Party (see our coverage in the front page below)
2018 | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez becomes youngest woman elected to the US House of Representatives, and on the same day Prince Charles calls slavery “an indelible stain”, stopping short of an apology in a speech in Accra, Ghana
Birthdays: Emma Stone (38), Nell McAndrew (53), Sally Field (80)
Plus, in the news today, a scuba diving instructor has claimed that another diver tried to pull off his breathing mask in a mass brawl 50ft underwater. Where did the confrontation take place?
1. Indonesia
2. Australia
3. Maldives
4. Thailand
Click one of the options to reveal the answer...
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Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including The 1% Club, Cogs, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.
Yesterday’s Panagram was NOTORIETY. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle.
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Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow.
Chris Evans, Editor
Please let me know what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback at fromtheeditor@telegraph.co.uk.
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