The allegations into Russell Brand’s behaviour while working on Channel 4 programmes were not “adequately addressed”, an investigation has found.
Brand, 49, found himself at the centre of a media storm last year when a Channel 4 documentary raised historical allegations of sexual assault.
This included predatory behaviour while working on several of the channel’s programmes including Big Brother’s Big Mouth, Kings Of Comedy and Big Brother’s Celebrity Hijack.
A probe launched by Banijay UK found that various informal concerns were raised about the star’s behaviour on the shows aired between 2004 and 2008.
Karen Baxter, head of investigations at law firm Lewis Silkin LLP, said: “No formal complaints were made about Brand during the programmes.
“There were, however, concerns regarding Brand’s behaviour which were raised informally with senior members of staff, particularly in relation to him asking runners to obtain phone numbers of audience members and female crew members feeling uncomfortable or intimidated by his behaviour while working in Bristol in 2004/2005.
“These concerns were not properly escalated or adequately addressed.”
Benijay UK brought the production company Endemol to commission the Channel 4 shows Brand worked on at the time.
As well as being accused of sexual assault, including rape, the Brand was accused of controlling and coercive behaviour.
Four women accused the star of historical misconduct in the documentary, Russell Brand: In Plain Sight, which aired last September.
One of Brand’s accusers recounted how he allegedly raped her without a condom at his American home in Los Angeles, before preventing her from leaving.
She claims she was only able to do so by saying she needed to use the bathroom and subsequently sought treatment at a rape crisis centre, which the Times confirmed via medical records.
The Los Angeles Police Department said at the time that it had not been made aware “of any incidents, reports or allegations regarding Russell Brand or any of the accusers”.
Further allegations against the comedian emerged in the wake of the documentary, including the claim that he exposed himself to a woman and then joked about it on his Radio 2 show.
The comedian denies all allegations against him.
In a statement released earlier this year, Brand described the documentary as “hurtful” as he had been accused of “what I consider to be the most appalling crimes.”
He said: “I’m aware that I put myself in an extremely vulnerable position by being very, very promiscuous, [but] that is not the type of conduct I endorse and it’s certainly not how I would live now.”
The Independent has reached out to a representative for Russell Brand, Channel 4 and Radio 2 for comment.