ALISTAIR JACKSON: Channel 4 journalist behind exposé asks... why did we meet a wall of silence from virtue signalling comedians?

Published: 19:24 EDT, 7 November 2026 | Updated: 19:49 EDT, 7 November 2026 British comedy has always prided itself on being fearless. Its most talented stars are those who challenge authority, puncture pomposity and say the unsayable.How ironic then that when my journalist colleagues and I embarked on a ground-breaking investigation into Russell Brand four years ago, we ran into a shocking wall of silence.Last week, as Brand was found guilty of rape and sexual assault, it is impossible not to wonder if that same culture of silence is what protected him and enabled him to operate in plain sight for years.The absence of even a hint of mea culpa from an industry that generally regards itself as anti-establishment is utterly staggering given its tireless appetite for lecturing the rest of us on virtue.Rumours about Brand’s depraved behaviour towards women had been rife for years when Channel 4 Dispatches, working alongside the Times and Sunday Times, began investigating him back in 2019. He was, to put it bluntly, the industry’s worst-kept secret.With so many red flags I was expecting the floodgates to open, for a swathe of whistle-blowing comics to come forward. Disappointingly, they never did.Early on in our investigation, a colleague and I went to a gig in London. We were hoping to speak to a high-profile female comedian performing that night. We’d been told another comic had confided in her about an alleged rape by Brand and warned her to stay away from him. Russell Brand with his wife Laura Gallacher outside Southwark Crown Court in London. Last week, Brand was found guilty of rape and sexual assaultAt first, it seemed as if she was going to help us, but that was before her agent got involved and it never went any further.While she clearly agonised over whether to speak to us, the agent instructed others on the circuit to ignore us, warning them via a WhatsApp group that rocking the boat wouldn’t be good for their careers. They were told they ran the risk of being labelled troublemakers and excluded from venues. We found these fears were deeply held and we don’t criticise those not able to speak out.It was an indication, though, of an industry that didn’t want to wash its dirty laundry in public.Britain’s comedy circuit is largely rooted in late-night bars and pubs where booze flows freely. Up-and-coming female comedians often travel across the country to venues on their own, sometimes waiting around for hours for their moment in front of the mic. Those who spoke out told us they felt unprotected working in such an unsafe environment. They kept in touch via WhatsApp groups, warning each other about who to stay away from. Brand’s name was not the only one on the list.Suspicions about Brand were rife wherever he worked. But the feeling among those who worked with him that he was untouchable, and that he would never be brought to justice, often served as a deterrent to speaking out.Those who did help our investigation were not the big names who worked with Brand. They were aspiring comics who’d seen first-hand the darker underbelly of that world. Such was the climate of fear around them that at times it felt like meeting up with those who feared reprisals from organised crime.One who did have the courage to speak to us on camera was Daniel Sloss, who’d known for years that his female colleagues had been warning each other about Brand.The culture of silence was to be found within the broadcast industry, too. A BBC technician would only speak to us on condition of anonymity, terrified his work would dry up. He told how Brand had exposed himself and urinated in a cup in front of colleagues and guests, one of whom appeared to be a minor. Despite complaints, no formal action was taken.But broadcasting has at least begun to examine its own failings, having already been forced into self-scrutiny by scandals involving the likes of Jimmy Savile and Stuart Hall.But British comedy has yet to have its MeToo moment. Where are the big-name stars who worked or appeared alongside Brand, despite all the suspicions? These celebrities, powerful in their own right, are never normally lost for words. Surely they have a responsibility to speak out in light of last week’s verdict.If future predators like Brand are to be stopped then there must be some kind of reckoning. It’s time for members of Britain’s comedy establishment to reflect on themselves with the same fearless and unflinching honesty they use to ply their trade.You can watch Dispatches’ Russell Brand: In Plain Sight, on Channel 4 streaming.