The BBC has cut a scene from the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special on iPlayer following Russell Brand's conviction. Brand was jailed for 10-and-a-half years for rape and sexual assault on Monday (November 9).
He was sentenced after a jury found him guilty of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others following a four-week trial. The 51-year-old previously denied wrongdoing and claimed all his relationships were consensual. He was also found not guilty of two counts of rape and one charge of attempted indecent assault.
Judge's remarks at sentencing
Sentencing judge Mr Justice Bennathan said Brand had become a “sexual predator” as he was starting to become famous. He said he was sentencing Brand for crimes “against four women between 2004 and 2009”. He added Brand acted “how you liked and when you liked, unhindered by the rules by which decent people live”.
The judge told the court: “Whatever women wear, wherever they go, whatever they drink, they retain the right to say no and demand justice in the criminal courts when sexual predators like you, Mr Brand, act without their consent.”
Scene removed from iPlayer
In the wake of Brand's conviction, BBC iPlayer has cut a scene from the hit series Gavin & Stacey in which Nessa made a Brand joke. During the Christmas dinner scene at Pam and Mick's house, Nessa, played by Ruth Jones, makes a joke about Brand and his autobiography, My Booky Wook.
Having returned to the table after putting Neil the Baby to bed, Nessa reveals that, instead of reading him a traditional children's story, she had been looking through Brand's memoir. The conversation then turns to whether Nessa and Stacey, portrayed by Joanna Page, feature in the book. Nessa responds with a quip suggesting that she, Stacey and Pam had shared a memorable evening with the comedian.
However, the exchange has since been edited out of the version of the episode available on BBC iPlayer. In the revised cut, Nessa moves straight on to praising Pam's turkey, with the original joke omitted. Versions of the episode reportedly available to buy on other platforms still contain the scene.
Previous scrutiny of the scene
The joke had previously attracted scrutiny, even before Brand faced his criminal trial. Following the publication of allegations against the comedian in a 2023 Channel 4 documentary, the scene reportedly disappeared from iPlayer. The BBC subsequently explained that the edited version had been uploaded "in error", adding that the original version would be reinstated.
