I worked at Channel 4 during the Russell Brand era. Ask me anything

[Channel4er]

I've thought long and hard about whether do do this AMA because people will probably be after salacious titbits which I neither have nor am interested in however there's been a lot of talk about Channel 4's role in the Brand affair and I thought I might be able to shed some light on what the culture at Channel 4 was actually like around that time.

In order to remain anonymous there may be some questions I can't answer. I've name changed but am a long standing MNer.

It’s interesting how many people are saying how unsurprising it is. Yawning all over the internet about how boring it is because we already knew he was a womaniser, as if that’s the same thing as allegedly forcing your penis down a 16 year old’s throat. It’s a subtle dig at the alleged victims, like saying der, did you not realise…

You just know that if the allegations were against someone for whom they were surprising, that would be being used against the alleged victims as well.

So they remake a seedy pile of shit like st Trinian's about sexualising schoolgirls and RB and many others starred in it and then in the real world we are meant to be shocked about how he behaved with a 16 year old.
And so many people are saying he was a sleazeball why didn't his alleged victims realise it then? He has had a whole host of enablers.
I think dispatches have also tried to sensationalise this by putting it on at the prime time slot if the week. I chose to watch a programme on ch5 about Osborne House instead.

What exactly are black features

Are we ‘meant to be shocked’ though? Or are we just meant to condemn rape and sexual assault? I don’t think anyone is trying to shock me with the allegations, and if they are they’ll be disappointed. I do, however, condemn the alleged behaviour. You’re another one of the yawners, bored shitless by it all. Fine. I hope you’re not suggesting the alleged victims are to blame though. It sounds like you are.

True. It's the lesson of The Snake.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ULx9k2QkL94

"You damn well I was a snake before you let me in" That's what everyone will say when you get bitten. So it militates against

It's that confidence trick of people, women, who succumb to predators. "Oh but he was so nice (to me)". Until he isn't. Then they realise. But they realise they've been had. That's another reason why women won't go public. Sheer mortal shame at admitting to themselves they were taken in.

Or the women who are still friends with him. "I can change and heal him" .

I note that he took to wearing eyeliner and black nail polish after about 2003 as a sort of skinny Robert Smith tribute act. I realised a possible template for him and his initial self deprecating self loathing act might have been Rob Newman (Comedy is the new rock and roll, NME, 1990's). He used to look fairly similar to Newman before that. Floppy curtain hair. Newman had dozens of teenage girls as fans. And included the odd reference to domestic violence and underage sex in his act.
Such edge. Such doge

A few years ago RB started doing his first degree at SOAS. Might have been Comparative Religion. At the time I thought it was good as the education might allow him to discriminate intellectually between different types of claims. I never heard that he'd finished the degree.

I think the way Dispatches built this up and put it on Saturday night they wanted us to be shocked.
The build up on Friday. Wait with baited breath you will never believe who we are going to expose. The A lister that was their words not mine. I don't believe the media care about the victims here other than the fact their experience validates their TV programme.

I went to see John Bishop and the joke that made me think you creep was -
A girl was in the pub celebrating her 18th and turned to him giggling I'm legal.
He said technically love you were legal two years ago.
Yet the creep will be turning up on comic relief etc the whole celebrity culture is just a turn off.

What doesn't sit with me here either is The Times leading the charge a paper owned by Murdoch who pedalled 16 year old girls for his readers on page 3 for many years.especially Sam Fox. Murdoch's media empire has been for decades at the very heart of why the RBs if this world believe they can get away with behaviour
Take upskirting for example.

Three post ment

Do you also feel the same about the BBC? They knew about Savile but did nothing.

Do you also boycott the BBC?

The runners getting women out of the audience to go backstage is exactly what goes on at some rock gigs, roadies pick girls out of the queue to go in. (know one or two).
I think in retrospect, this is awful. At the time people were desperate to get close to their idols. Brand exploited his position, part of what men think 'getting famous' will bring them and it does (as does getting rich, sadly. Hey Melania, looking at you!)
Yes, the culture needs to change. Brand is part of a big problem. The illegal activity is what he needs to be held to account for most of all.

Yes I don't have.a TV because I don't want to pay the TV licence to fund the BBC.
And for what the BBC did to Cliff Richard and to Paul Gambaccini.
I hate the whole sexualising if young girls which the entire media love.

Why do radio stations still play David Bowie and Michael Jackson and an endless list if creeps and perverts.

With music, it's possible to separate the art from the artist.

Brand's product is himself.

Fair enough, but are you really boycotting BBC the BBC fully?

For me personally I can’t. it’s no hardship not listening to Gary Glitter, Ian Watkins/Lost Prophets, etc, but giving up MJ music was hard.

With music, it's possible to separate the art from the artist.

Not for some people. If you've been raped or abused and a certain artist comes on the radio it just reminds you constantly of your own trauma.

Disagree personally. I don’t listen to MJ anymore as it feels disrespectful to the victims.

No one casually listens to Gary Glitter anymore; it’s an easy call as his music’s not outstanding. You know if you went round to someone’s house and they were playing ‘You wanna be in my gang’ you’d be wtf?

People only start twisting themselves into arguments about separating the music from the artist when it’s someone good and they would feel a minor personal loss or inconvenience at doing so. Not to judge – I understand the reluctance and attachment – but I doubt anyone is intellectualising separating the art from the artist in cases where they’re already an identified sex offender.

Completely understandable. I'm just saying that it is possible to enjoy someone's music while loathing them as a person. It's not so possible to enjoy someone's personality while loathing them as a person, and Brand doesn't create art, he creates himself.

And I've never understood his appeal anyway. Always thought he was an arsehole and not good looking.

I do see what you mean.

I wouldn’t judge someone for watching a Roman Polanski film or a Kevin Spacey or Weinstein produced movie for example.

Lots of people made those films, it seems a shame that everyone else loses out because of a rapist.

No not totally i watch Cbeebies when I'm seeing to the kids at my daughter's as I can't stand the adverts on other channels..
And since the Ukraine invasion I listen to a bit of 5 live - Nicky Campbell Naga Munchetty and Nihal Arthanayake - mainly because I can't cope with the onslaught of gambling adverts on Absolute radio.

I was really shocked when Kevin Spacey was accused i love the film Seven, he has since been found not guilty.
And I found it hard in Joker when Gary Glitter blasted out as he walked down the steps but apparently in the US they're not so bothered about that sort of thing.

Roald Dahl was famously antisemitic.

But there's none of that in his books.

Just announced that RB is no longer director of either of these businesses. No idea under what circumstances......

Edit.....sorry thought I'd quoted my earlier post about him being a director of two media businesses with John Noel..