Dispatches . Russel brand .

[fabmaccawhackythumbsaloft]

I actually like Russel brand . And I don't think he's ever hidden what he used to be in his heyday. He's always been very open about his drug use, and promiscuity.

I read his first book . I watch his videos on fb , and while I don't always agree with him, he seems to have totally overhauled his lifestyle, attitudes, is into yoga, self care, seems to be a decent husband and father .

Is this newsworthy ? Young famous comedian in heyday slept with lots and lots of women , consensually he says ?

Hes never hidden it.

On drug misuse I alWays had time for his views that it should be dealt with as a medical issue not a criminal one

What's the news story ?
I always feel like there is much glee and salivating before the media try and knock someone down.
I don't think this is a huw edwards where people would be shocked at him trying to pick up young women behind his wife's back

It seems that brand has settled down , lives a fairly mundane lifestyle and is happy with his choices .

Or am I completely missing something?

I’m not minimising or doubting these allegations but I’ve heard them many times over the last 8 years at least.
The Times, channel 4 and Dispatches plus many others have no doubt known about it for longer. Other comedians have been talking about him for years too.
How has it taken this long for them to grow a spine and out him, their no hero’s in bringing this to the public now after sitting on it for so long

Oh to be a fly on the wall tonight in the Brand household. His poor wife. Hope she dumps him, takes him to the cleaners and he’s at the very least arrested and questioned tonight. What a POS!

Instead of thinking about how it will never end in a rape conviction (keeping in mind the low conviction rate anyway) 'being its been prejudiced' maybe think of the alternative:

Why will Brand never manage to get a prosecution for libel and defamation against The Times and Despatches over this?

The Times and Despatches will have to have been utterly bomb proof on the legalities on this. They will have to have compelling evidence and present a case that it was absouletely in the public interest to a) warn the public about Brand b) explore the issues about why Brand got away with it for so long c) raise uncomfortable questions about why complaints from colleagues and women were not taken seriously by broadcasters.

In reality thats where the importance of the story really is. Not in getting PAST convictions which anyone with much of a clue understands simply isn't realistic. Its about trying to force culture change at broadcasters and making higher levels of duty of care to women to prevent The Next Saville or The Next Brand.

The fact there are so many parallels between Saville and Brand is where it is particularly uncomfortable. It shows how the industry really hasn't learn those lessons and that even after Saville's death the culture continued to not act where MULTIPLE questions over conduct were being raised.

And if you missed this point as the importance of the documentary you REALLY didn't understand the documentary.

You think its about those women and 'justice for those women'? Na. I don't think any of them really think they will get it. I DO think they get the point about 'how did he get away with it with so many women and so many bloody obvious signs which everyone saw at the time'. All those comments and his language as he actively boasted about it. THATS what its about.

Power imbalances and how easy it is to hide in plain sight because of a lack of institutional level safeguarding.

Quite. Because we have a toxic culture that protects predators?

And no, its not necessarily even about Brand on a personal level in that context...

Well what I gleaned from.that was that you can be a man who openly makes sexuslised and demeaning comments about your female colleagues on air, make constant sexual innuendo's while young female assistants are trying to do their jobs have numerous complaints made about you by female staff and nothing happens to you, but the minute you upset a male comedian, not by doing anything to them physically or personally at all but leaving a voicemail about a consensual sexual encou ter with his granddaughter, you are out on your ear. Not enough has been made of the complicity of TV and film.executives in enabling poor behaviour on general by 'stars'.

Much of what we heard about Savile after his death came from material already passed to the police by journalists from whistleblowers and victims at charities and in hospitals and children's homes etc.

He was never even charged with anything let alone taken to court.

Even when rapists are taken to court they have an almost 100% chance of getting off.

Brand isn't going to court either.

People will just know what he has done before his death this time.

I suppose there's not enough evidence which is why they've gone to the media. Otherwise, he'd be arrested or something by now.

He managed to get a super-injunction to try and silence everything. And some time after that he jumped over to the right wing simply so he could prepare his defense of "they're coming for me because I expose the truth". He's been waiting for this because he knew what he did.

I think the women defending him have lost their minds. There was clear documented evidence of the first rape in text messages between them, she'd been to Rape Crisis the following day and witnesses corroborated hearing her scream. What more does she have to do?

I've been raped once and sexually assaulted several times.

The only ones I reported were the ones by strangers.

I didn't report the rape or sexual assaults by people I knew.

It's a very confusing and conflicting time and if, like many women including me, you had a traumatic childhood it can take you years to fully come to terms with what actually happened.

When you're sitting here for the millionth time thinking about going to the police it doesn't bloody help to see women on threads like this saying out loud all the things you imagine people will say about you if you did...

@SwiftieGrainger

Brand is a cunt. On a school trip many years ago a friend who idolised him sheepishly walked up to him in Camden Lock to say hi. He was clearly a teenager and he responded 'I'm on the FUCKING PHONE'. A human about as vile as this thread. Why are we victim shaming and so inclined to excuse away women's experiences? No smoke without fire and all that

Man shouts at teenager interrupting him for photoop while he was making possibly important personal/business phone call having posssibly been interrupted ten times already that day. Yeah let’s judge him on that one.

I suppose channel 4 advertisers have also used our money. The ripples spread.

You like him? Really?

I did say, "Of course she hasn't, she's only six" the last time. But I didn't say it strongly enough and I think I let my DD down by being too polite. I know what to do now. That was the point of me mentioning it by the way. I was saying that the documentary helped me see the light in my own life and what I could be doing in my own small way to help the state of affairs for women. I have a "bollock and block" policy for dick pics. Not sure if it makes any difference, but I think we all need to call out his shit when we see it. When I think back over my life and the shit I've put up with from men... well, it's upsetting.

All of this!

Well. I don't like what I know of Russell Brand at all.
If he is a rapist and sexual predator, he most certainly deserves to be investigated and brought to justice by the police.

I really do not want to see media outlets and gossip used in the place of the judicial system. They're interested in entertainment, not justice.
All day, we've seen speculation, with innocent names being dragged through the mud.
Fix the police, judge and jury system if it's failing.
This current trial by media is no replacement for it.

Well I'm glad at least ONE other person was actually paying attention, cos from the look of this thread you'd be forgiven for thinking noone had....

We are on the cusp of being in a situation where due to the total lack of justice there will only be a few ways to achieve justice for women:

Trial by media
Vigilante groups

What this programme highlights is the abject failure of the legal system to protect women.

they only use the word alleged as a safety measure, don’t they? They know who they believe. And I agree.

I couldn’t disagree more. This is a perfect example of women being held to higher account for the sins of their menfolk. There are so many rape apologists on this thread that it doesn’t surprise me that RB’s second wife married him. Who knows what her rationale was (maybe to be as rich and famous as her sister?) But the fact is that his wife did not commit any of these alleged crimes. Her taste in husband/partner material may be questionable to you and I but she is not the one under scrutiny here.

The joint investigation has been going on for 3 years. They aren't CDAN, who can print any old Shite dome deluded nutjob send them. They must have had to make the allegations absolutely bombproof.

It's shone a light on how far safeguarding standards have changed. Early 2000s I worked at television studios where a mainstream programme was filmed. It was common knowledge that guests were given drugs and alcohol before going on set to fuel arguments and to make better TV. They made money out of the vulnerability and so turned a blind eye and encouraged it to make better TV. I can see how RB's behaviour was allowed to continue, it made for good TV.

As an entertainer I found him entertaining. Hideously unattractive and sleazy but funny enough.

These women need to go to the police, not the journos.

Well the one who alleges rape and the one who alleges sexual assault certainly do.

Much was made of the former sixteen year old who was his girlfriend, and while seedy in the extreme nothing illegal appears to have occurred in that instance.

And back in the real world……..🙄