Russell Brand dispatches: Comedian postpones all tour dates as ex-Channel 4 editor labels allegations as ‘MeToo’ moment for TV

Shortly after the release of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” Kristen Bell told interviewers that she had to “intimidate” her co-star Russell Brand to make sure he understood she was not interested in a sexual relationship with him during the shoot.

Her recollections of her time with the British actor and comedian have resurfaced in the wake of allegations that he raped and sexually assaulted a number of women at the peak of his fame.

Brand has denied the allegations.

During an interview with the Scottish Daily Record, Bell said she was aware of Brand’s “womanising” and made it clear to him that she was not going to tolerate his advances.

Downing Street described the allegations made against Russell Brand as “very serious and concerning”.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “These are very serious and concerning allegations.

“The Met Police has asked anyone who believes they have been a victim of a sexual assault to come forward to speak to officers.

“As the Foreign Secretary said over the weekend, people should feel able to raise concerns where they have them and know they will be treated seriously and treated with sensitivity.

“The Prime Minister has been clear there should never be any space for harassment, regardless of where it is found.”

John Noel told Channel 4 News he parted company with Brand around 2014 and said he could not comment on the allegations for legal reasons, before saying: “I’ve never had any complaints about him, other than turning up late. Yeah, that kind of thing. Standard stuff in our business.”

Brand denies all allegations made against him.

Katy Perry’s short-lived relationship with Russell Brand prompted a slew of headlines when the seemingly unlikely couple were first linked back in 2009 – and even more when they broke up just 14 months after their wedding.

Perry, 38, has not addressed the allegations against her former husband. However, she has spoken in the past about the circumstances surrounding her split from Brand, and previously revealed that he called time on their relationship over text

Shortly after the release of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” Kristen Bell told interviewers that she had to “intimidate” her co-star Russell Brand to make sure he understood she was not interested in a sexual relationship with him during the shoot.

Her recollections of her time with the British actor and comedian have been dredged up in the wake of allegations that he raped and sexually assaulted a number of women at the peak of his fame.

A joint investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches highlighted the stories of four women — including one who was a minor at the time — who say Brand either raped or sexually assaulted them between 2006 and 2013.

Brand has denied the allegations.

A Government minister has urged women who have experienced sexual assault to report it to the police.

Asked by LBC radio host Nick Ferrari what broadcasters should do in the wake of allegations against Russell Brand, which the comedian and actor has denied, pensions minister Laura Trott told LBC radio: “I think everybody needs to do better.

“I think no woman, Nick, reading the allegations that were all over the place this weekend could do anything other than shudder. It’s horrific.

“And I pay absolute tribute to the women who’ve come forward and also the journalists that have pursued this, the editors who’ve allowed them to do that, the investment that’s been put in place and the huge legal risk that’s taken for stories such as these.

“We all need to do better. And I would just plead any woman who’s had experiences like this to come forward and to report them to the police.”

Russell Brand has 6.61 million subscribers on YouTube, which is about the same number as he had before the latest allegations about rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse became public.

It’s a sizeable audience – a little bigger, for example, than the more wholesome Ant and Dec can pull in for ITV on a Saturday evening – and one that has clearly not been so repulsed by the claims about him to make the effort to unsubscribe. Nor has Google (corporately listed as Alphabet Inc), owner of YouTube, seen fit to “cancel” Brand, who must bring them (as well as himself) substantial revenues.

As was apparent on the very evening the story broke, Brand was still able to fill a theatre, though his performance was reportedly distracted. His fan base, misguided or not, are sticking with him, most remarking that he is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law – ie beyond reasonable doubt and setting a relatively high bar before they withdraw their adulation.

Scandal-ridden comedian. Hollywood husband. Drug addict-turned-wellness-guru. Left-wing activist. Conspiracy theorist. Over the course of two decades in the spotlight, the British stand-up and presenter Russell Brand has put forward many different personas to the public. Now, another, darker side to the comic has emerged, as he has been accused of rape, sexual assault and emotionally abusing four women.

Brand released a video on Saturday 17 September before the allegations were made public to deny “serious criminal allegations” ,which he said related to his “promiscuous” past.

The 48-year-old comedian and actor said he “absolutely refutes” the claims and suggested two “mainstream media outlets” were making a “coordinated” attack against him. Later that day, a joint Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches investigation was released, revealing the allegations against him.