Richard Madeley shocks viewers after claiming his show banned paedophile Rolf Harris as 'he groped make-up artists'... but refused to 'make a fuss about it'

Published: 12:01 EST, 15 November 2026 | Updated: 12:21 EST, 15 November 2026 Richard Madeley has revealed that Rolf Harris used to 'grope' makeup artists behind the scenes of television shows he presented.The TV presenter said Harris stopped receiving invitations to appear on one of his shows as a result of his behaviour - but that producers didn't 'make a fuss' in banning him.Speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Madeley said: 'We actually banned Rolf Harris from coming on our show when he was still very much extant.'Because his reputation was - he used to grope the makeup artists. He used to grope them.'So he was just banned from our show. It was a quiet thing, we didn't make a fuss about it, but he wasn't invited back.'Mr Madeley was discussing the culture of the television industry, in light of the conviction of Russell Brand and the allegations against David Walliams.Harris, who died in 2023 at the age of 93, was convicted in 2014 of sexual crimes against girls.He was found guilty of a string of indecent assaults between 1968 and 1986 - though he never admitted to his offences or apologised to his victims. Richard Madeley revealed that Rolf Harris was known to grope makeup artists when appearing on TV showsRolf Harris was convicted of a string of indecent assaults against underage girls and jailedHarris was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison, but walked free in 2017.Reflecting on Brand's conviction, Mr Madeley said he was surprised it had taken so long for the stories of his behaviour to emerge.He said he had only learned last week that the comedian had misbehaved while a guest on his show, thanks to revelations from Daily Mail columnist Amanda Platell.Platell appeared alongside Brand on Channel 4's Richard & Judy in 2007, which Mr Madeley presented, and had a disturbing encounter in her dressing room.She wrote in a column last week that Brand had 'sauntered' in when she was half-dressed, saying he had been longing to meet her.Platell remembers the up and coming star as 'quite smelly' and 'deeply creepy, even menacing'.She told him to leave, which he did 'with reluctance'.Brand was sentenced to ten years and six months in prison, after being found guilty of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.