Russell Brand denies 'very serious' claims against him as he insists all relationships have been 'consensual'

16 September 2023, 06:47 | Updated: 16 September 2023, 07:48

Russell Brand has denied "very serious" claims that are set to be made against him by the media.

The allegations, which have not yet been published, are a "litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks", the comedian has said.

News emerged that the Dispatches programme was due to publish claims against a famous person in a show that was "years in the making".

In a video posted to Twitter, Brand said his relationships have always been "consensual".

During the two minute and 45 second clip, called "This is happening", the 48-year-old says: "Now, this isn't the usual type of video we make on this channel where we critique, attack and undermine the news in all its corruption because in this story, I am the news.

"I've received two extremely disturbing letters or a letter and an email. One from a mainstream media TV company, one from a newspaper listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks, as well as some pretty stupid stuff like my community festival should be stopped, that I shouldn't be able to attack mainstream media narratives on this channel.

"But amidst this litany of astonishing rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute.

"These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies. And as I've written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous.

"Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual. I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent, and I'm being transparent about it now as well.

Read more: 'Britain's FBI' fumbles ten-month investigation into London's last Russian oligarch as mansion raid was 'unlawful'

"And to see that transparency metastasised into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question, is there another agenda at play?"

He went on: "I know that a year ago there was a spate of articles - Russell Brand's a conspiracy theorist, Russell Brand's right wing. I'm aware of news media making phone calls, sending letters to people I know for ages and ages.

"It's being clear to me, or at least it feels to me like there's a serious and concerted agenda to control these kind of spaces and these kind of voices. And I mean, my voice along with your voice.

"I don't mind them using my books and my stand-up to talk about my promiscuous consensual conduct in the past. What I seriously refute are these very, very serious criminal allegations.

"Also, it's worth mentioning that there are witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narrative that these two mainstream media outlets are trying to construct, apparently, in what seems to me to be a coordinated attack.

"Now, I don't want to get into this any further because of the serious nature of the allegations, but I feel like I'm being attacked and plainly they're working very closely together.

Read more: Killer nurse Lucy Letby to appeal conviction after being jailed for life for murder of seven babies

"We are obviously going to look into this matter 'cause it's very, very serious. In the meantime, I want you to stay close, stay awake, but more important than any of that, if you can, please stay free."

News emerged on Friday that Channel 4 will broadcast a Dispatches programme that would examine the behaviour of a celebrity.

The 90-minute show is due to be broadcast on Saturday night.

Channel 4 news anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy deleted a tweet that said "something's up" with a screenshot of Dispatches in the broadcaster's schedule.

Sources said he was told to remove it because the nature of the programme is "sensitive", MailOnline reported.

A source told The Mirror: "This programme has been years in the making and is being edited up to the last minute."