Russell Brand drags Dan Wootton, Huw Edwards and Phillip Schofield back under the spotlight

TW: mentions of rape, sexual abuse, bullying, harassment

On Saturday 16 SeptemberChannel 4 broadcasted a documentary called Russell Brand: In Plain Sight: Dispatches. In the documentary, the channel, who employed Brand in the 2000s, put forward women who spoke out against Brand’s sexual misconduct.

The documentary is the result of a year-long investigation (GB News says the investigation lasted 4 years) conducted by Channel 4, The Times and Sunday Times.Russell Brand, at this time, denies any accusation of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse.

This new scandal in the entertainment industry has brought back to the surface other scandals that occurred this year. For instance, alongside Brand, we have seen Huw Edwards and Phillip Schofield trend on X.

The scandals of Schofield,Edwards, Wootton and Brand

2023 had been rich in celebrity breakups but also, and even more unfortunate, in scandals regarding men abusing their power.

The first one is of course Phillip Schofield, who in May 2023, resigned from both This Morning and ITV as an affair with a younger member of staff was brought to light. While both parties have confirmed that the affair did happen, no criminal charges have been held against the presenter.

Then, in July 2023, BBC star presenter Huw Edwards was caught in a scandal accusing him of paying an undergage person over £30,000 for explicit pictures. In the end, Edwards was removed from the BBC, placed in a mental hospital and freed of any criminal charges by MET police.

In the same month, GB News presenter Dan Wootton started being at the centre of a series of articles by independent publication Byline Times. Wootton is accused of bullying, catfishing, harassing and filming coworkers having sex without their consent.

Just like Russell Brand, the Dan Wootton scandal is the result of a long investigation. Byline worked for three years on their series of articles and Channel 4, The Times and Sunday Times investigated for one year (or 4, according to GB News).

All scandals have one thing in common: they happened while these men were at the top of their career, in powerful positions within the entertainment industry.

Read more:

⋙ Dan Wootton could be faking his whole 'hard-right' personality on GB News, close source reveals

⋙ Dan Wootton scandal: What is The Byline Times? The publication who aims to shake the British media

Viewers and social media users are linking the four scandals

Since being broadcasted, the documentary has brought forth many reactions. The Guardian reports that Caroline Dinenage, who chairs the House of Commons media committee stated:

These allegations, and looking at the questions that this, yet again, raises about the culture in the industry as a whole.

Dinenage is right, Brand’s scandal cannot be isolated from the others that have shaken the main broadcasting houses over the last few months. ITV, BBC, Channel 4; none have been spared by the consequences of the actions of their presenters. All channels are conducting internal investigations about these various scandals.

On social media, especially on X, users have been quick to link the four.

Social media has also brought up some interesting questions about how the mainstream media has been dealing with these scandals.

Read more:

⋙ Phillip Schofield: The disgraced presenter is reported to have mended this crucial relationship

⋙ Huw Edwards: BBC Viewers demand to hear from presenter after explicit photo scandal

⋙ Dan Wootton scandal: Journalists exposing the GB News host are getting 'threatening phone calls"

Sources:

X

The Guardian: Monday briefing: How the Russell Brand story unfolded
Mirror: How to watch Russell Brand Channel 4 Dispatches documentary after allegations