THE BBC has removed some Russell Brand content from its iPlayer and Sounds apps, saying it “now falls below public expectations”.
The news comes after the remaining shows of Brand’s Bipolarisation tour were postponed and the Metropolitan Police said it had received a report of an alleged sexual assault in the wake of media allegations about the comedian and actor.
Brand’s YouTube account, which has 6.6 million subscribers, has also been suspended from YouTube’s Partner account “following serious allegations against the creator”, meaning the channel is no longer able to make money from advertising on the platform.
In a statement confirming the move, a BBC spokesman said: “The BBC does not ban or remove content when it is a matter of public record, unless we have justification for doing so.
“There is limited content featuring Russell Brand on iPlayer and Sounds. We’ve reviewed that content and made a considered decision to remove some of it, having assessed that it now falls below public expectations.”
Brand has been accused of rape, assault and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013, when he was at the height of his fame and working for the BBC, Channel 4 and starring in Hollywood films, following a joint investigation by The Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches.
He has strongly denied the allegations, which also include claims of controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour.
On Tuesday, The Times reported that several other women have since come forward with fresh claims about Brand.
One woman, using the fake name Lisa, told the paper the comedian had sung about Soham killer Ian Huntley during a consensual sexual encounter in 2008.
Another woman, known as Esme, told the Times that Brand had been threatening and verbally abusive towards her when she refused to have sex with him.
Before the first allegations were published, Brand posted a video on Friday saying he has been “promiscuous” but that all of his relationships have been “consensual”.
Following the accusations at the weekend, the BBC, Channel 4 and Banijay UK, which bought Endemol, the company commissioned by Channel 4 to produce the Big Brother spin-off shows Brand hosted, have all launched investigations into his behaviour while he was working on their programmes.
