Russell Brand and David Walliams resurfaced Channel 4 video, Digi Mart USA News (United Kingdom): A resurfaced video shows convicted rapist Russell Brand and comedian David Walliams joking about pretending to be gay as a “smokescreen” during a Channel 4 television show. The footage, filmed nearly 20 years ago, shows Brand chatting to Walliams and his Little Britain co-star Matt Lucas during the first episode of The Russell Brand Show, which aired on November 24, 2006.
Brand is seen wearing an antique top hat when Lucas jokes: “You’re like the two gayest straight blokes there are, aren’t you?” Walliams then responds: “Isn’t it a wonderful smokescreen?” Brand replies: “Isn’t it though? Isn’t it glorious?
It works wonderfully well.”
The clip has resurfaced after Brand, 51, was jailed for ten-and-a-half years for raping and sexually assaulting four women. There is no suggestion that Walliams was aware of Brand’s offending or was involved in any wrongdoing.
Brand was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Monday (November 9), having been found guilty of raping a 21-year-old fan at his Hampstead home in 2009. He was also convicted of sexually assaulting three female television and radio workers in 2004, 2005 and 2009, when he was at the height of his fame.
His victims included women working at Channel 4, Capital Radio and MTV. Brand was cleared of two further rape charges and one allegation of attempted indecent assault.
The exchange with Walliams is among several clips from Brand’s television career to have emerged in the wake of his conviction. Another video shows Brand making inappropriate remarks to broadcaster Vanessa Feltz about her daughters during an appearance on his Channel 4 show in 2006.
He asked whether he could “have it off” with her daughters, prompting Feltz to firmly reply: “No you may not.”
Meanwhile, footage from a 2007 episode of The Big Fat Quiz of the Year shows Brand joking about rape alongside fellow comedians. During the programme, Jonathan Ross suggested singer Lily Allen should move away from Brand and Noel Fielding so she “might go home with her dress still on”.
Fielding responded: “How dare you, we’re not rapists,” prompting laughter from the studio audience. Brand later joked: “What if, horror of horrors, he ain’t even done a rape?
You could ruin his reputation.”
Allen, who was the only woman on the panel, later described the exchange as “horrendous” in a 2023 interview with Grazia UK. She said: “And I laugh along with it.
In retrospect, that’s really horrendous. It makes me uncomfortable, but I don’t think I felt that at the time, because it was the culture.”
During sentencing on Monday, Mr Justice Bennathan told Brand: “About 20 years ago, Russell Brand, you were becoming famous.” He added: “You were clever – and in many people’s eyes, funny and charismatic.”
The Metropolitan Police have since confirmed that Brand remains under investigation over two further allegations of rape.
