Channel 4 Asks Producers To Report “Historical Allegations” About Russell Brand
EXCLUSIVE: Channel 4 has asked third-party production companies to report “historical allegations” about Russell Brand after he was accused of raping and sexually assaulting women.
In an email seen by Deadline, Chief Content Officer Ian Katz said Channel 4 wanted to hear from anyone impacted by Brand, urging producers to “bring to our attention any historical allegations or concerns.”
The call for evidence follows The Times, Sunday Times, and Channel 4 reporting allegations that Brand sexually assaulted four women at the height of his fame. Brand vehemently denies the claims and has said all of his relationships were consensual.
Katz said he was “appalled” by the accusations against Brand, saying that the Dispatches investigation — which he ultimately commissioned — paints an “ugly picture” that means Channel 4 must “redouble our commitment to ensuring safe working conditions for all those in our industry.”
Katz’s full email is below:
I’m sure you will have heard the deeply troubling allegations reported by Dispatches and The Times/The Sunday Times on Saturday night.
We are appalled to learn of these and we and Banijay will be investigating further to try and understand who, if anyone, was made aware of Brand’s alleged behaviour, and what, if any, action was taken. We also want to hear from anyone else who was impacted by his alleged behaviour.
In the meantime I hope the ugly picture that emerges from the Dispatches film will redouble our commitment to ensuring safe working conditions for all those in our industry, one free of bullying, harassment or any form of abuse.
While the allegations relate to programmes made for Channel 4 between 2004 and 2007, I wanted to use this moment to reinforce the need for all our current production partners to follow our Supplier Code of Conduct and raise any concerns with us immediately during production. We also require all production companies to publish Channel 4’s Speak Up facility (or an approved alternative) providing those working on our productions with a confidential process to escalate concerns to Channel 4. We are here to help address any problems in a robust and appropriate manner.
We particularly want to hear from anyone else who was impacted by the alleged behaviour reported by Dispatches so please bring to our attention any historical allegations or concerns.
We take our responsibility to create a safe, respectful and professional industry very seriously and I’m sure you are equally committed to that principle.
Kind regards,