Russell Brand promised to bring ‘naked’ female assistant to meet Jimmy Savile on BBC show
Russel Brand’s interview with sex offender Jimmy Savile has resurfaced. (Getty Images)
Russell Brand offered a naked personal assistant to disgraced BBC presenter Jimmy Savile in a shocking, resurfaced interview from the comedian’s former Radio 2 programme.
The 48-year-old comedian and YouTuber has been accused of of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse during a seven-year period by four women, following an investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches.
Brand has adamantly denied the allegations, saying in a social media video that sexual relationships which took place during a “promiscuous” period in his career were “absolutely always consensual”.
Brand has added that because he is an “alternative media broadcaster competing with mainstream media”, which critics simply describe as pushing conspiracy theories, the allegations of abuse are a “concerted campaign”.
Since the allegations broke on Saturday (16 September), criticism of Brand’s past behaviour has been discussed widely on social media, including his 2007 radio interview with Jimmy Savile.
Savile died in 2011 and following his death, an investigation into sexual abuse allegations found he had at least 500 victims, a majority of which were children, and potentially included acts of necrophilia with corpses.
During the interview, Brand asks when he can meet Savile, who responds: “If you have got a sister you could meet me by bringing her along. I don’t usually meet fellas but if you have got a sister then that’s OK.”
“Well I haven’t got a sister but I have got a personal assistant and part of her job description is that anyone I demand she greet, meet, massages, she has to do it,” Brand replied.
“She’s very attractive, Jimmy. Would you like her to wear anything in particular Jimmy?”
Savile replied by saying he would prefer the personal assistant to wear “nothing”, to which Brand jokingly said “that will not be a problem”.
The BBC is now investigating Brand, and his time working for the broadcaster.
Brand hosted the Radio 2 programme between 2006 and 2008. He resigned after the BBC suspended both him, and Jonathan Ross, for a prank phone call made during a broadcast to Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs. In the call, Brand claimed he had had sex with Sachs’ granddaughter.
Allegations against Russell Brand
The allegations of abuse by Brand have been made by four women and are said to have taken place at the height of Brand’s fame, between 2006 and 2013 when he was a presenter for the BBC and Channel 4, as well as the star of Hollywood films.
One women has alleged that Brand raped her against a wall in his Los Angeles home. Medical records show she was treated at a rape crisis centre the same day and when she texted Brand she had been scared by him and felt taken advantage he replied “very sorry”.
Another alleges he assaulted her when he was 31 and she was 16, telling The Times he engaged in the “behaviours of a groomer” and called her “the child”.
A third woman has claimed Brand sexually assaulted her when she worked with him and he threatened her with legal action if she told anyone.
The fourth woman alleges sexual assault by Brand, as well as physical and emotional abuse.
Helen Berger, who worked as Brand’s personal assistant in 2006 and has labelled him a “narcissist”, told the Times that her being gay was “plus” for management.
The manager “wanted to make sure that I would be safe. He just wanted a purely platonic situation,” she said.
She added Brand would only wear underwear whilst she worked and he would show off intimate photographs of women with friends.
She explained one such situation: “I leant in. As he’s going through these pictures he gets to a picture of somebody I knew.
“It did something to me. It made me feel really sick to my stomach. These are women who aren’t expecting to be shown to the dude’s friends.”
Rape Crisis England and Wales works towards the elimination of sexual violence. If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02. Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
