BRAND'S 'M.O.'
Big Brother staff ‘all knew Russell Brand was a predator’ with star ‘using them as pimps’ as Channel 4 launches probe
BIG Brother staff all knew Russell Brand was a "predator" with the star using them as "pimps", it has been claimed.
Channel 4 has launched a probe after comedian and film star Brand was accused of rape and multiple sexual assaults, which he denies.
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People working for Big Brother production firm Endemol have now admitted to concerns about his behaviour when he presented spin-off shows Big Brother's EFourum and Big Mouth.
They were speaking out after allegations against Brand were made in by The Times and Channel 4's Dispatches.
The 90-minute programme broadcast on Saturday was called Russell Brand: In Plain Sight.
Ex-Endemol employees have now told The Times it was aptly-titled, with one saying: "That was his M.O.
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"We all knew he was a predator. There is no denying that he was involved in a lot of complicated sexual situations."
They say staff felt like they were being treated as the star's "pimp", tasked with fixing up meetings for him with members of the audience he fancied.
The claims come after the Metropolitan Police revealed yesterday they were investigating after being contacted by a woman saying she was sexually assaulted by the comedian in London's Soho in 2003.
And a former model told of Brand tailing her through the streets demanding sex for what "felt like a lifetime", saying: "He’s like the Terminator. You can’t get rid of him."
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Brand has denied Saturday's allegations of rape, sexual assault and abuse against four women including one who was just 16 at the time.
Four women say he attacked them at the height of his fame between 2006 and 2013, when he was a presenter on BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 and starring in Hollywood movies.
He is accused of not only rape and sexual assault but also emotional and physical abuse, which he denies.
Scotland Yard urged other potential victims to come forward while the BBC and Channel 4 have opened investigations.
Today's Times says two former Endemol crew members described being encouraged to approach audience members for Brand, while a third said staff found the presenter's behaviour "seedy".
Another described the culture as "a free-for-all", with everyone "culpable because they all knew what he was like".
As part of the weekend's expose, employees working alongside Brand on the Big Brother spin-offs said they were made to feel like "pimps".
One said: "Russell's pointing out women that he found attractive in the audience, then getting the runners to get their details so that they could meet up after the show.
"I distinctly remember getting phone calls from women in tears the next day saying they'd met up with Russell.
"It was like we were taking lambs into slaughter. We were basically acting like pimps to Russell Brand’s needs."
A former runner on one of the shows, aged 24 at the time, accused the presenter of flashing her in his dressing room.
Banijay UK, which bought Endemol in 2020, said it had launched an "urgent internal investigation" into Brand's alleged behaviour.
Channel 4's chief executive Alex Mahon has described Saturday's Dispatches programme as a "brave and important piece of journalism".
He added: "While the allegations our team has helped unearth are deeply disturbing they can ultimately lead to further positive change in our industry and I am committed to ensuring we are at the forefront of that change."
Channel 4 has been contacting employees and suppliers as part of its new internal investigation following the claims about Brand.
Meanwhile, the BBC is facing questions over Brand amid claims chiefs ignored warnings about him while also spending public money on a teenage girlfriend.
Brand posted a video on his own YouTube channel on Friday night, before any claims had yet been made public.
He insisted he "absolutely refutes" the accusations and described all his past relationships as "always consensual".
Brand said he was "promiscuous" at the height of his fame but denied any criminal element to his behaviour.
YouTube today suspended Brand's channel from making money.
He has 6.6million YouTube subscribers and is estimated to have been making £1million a year from the channel.
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YouTube said it had suspended Brand's channel from the YouTube Partner Program "following serious allegations against the creator".
The Google-owned company added: "This action means the channel is no longer able to monetise on YouTube."
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