Russell Brand radio recording emerges following rape and sexual assault conviction

The Daily Mail reported on a May 2007 BBC Radio 2 broadcast in which Russell Brand told Jimmy Savile he would bring a female assistant to meet him. In the recording, Brand suggested the assistant strip naked for the meeting. The report follows Brand's conviction for rape and sexual assault, after which The Guardian reported that UK publishers began withdrawing his books. [1][2]

Fox News reported that footage from a police interrogation of Brand has surfaced, showing him telling officers he kissed hundreds of people and calling the rape allegations fictitious. Fox News also reported that further police investigations are looming. Meanwhile, The Guardian and thejournal.ie reported that Brand's barrister, Ian Winter KC, reported himself to his regulator after a post-trial exchange with Sunday Times journalist Rosamund Urwin. [4][5][6][7]

Brand rose to fame hosting Big Brother's Big Mouth before starring in films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek. Savile, who hosted Top of the Pops and Jim'll Fix It, was revealed after his death to have been a prolific sex offender who abused hundreds of victims. [10][11][12]

According to The Guardian, the UK culture secretary described Brand's conviction as a wake-up call. The Guardian also noted that comedian Katherine Ryan expressed relief following the verdict. [3]