Netflix has released a new documentary, Russell Brand: Open Secret, chronicling the comedian's downfall after allegations of sexual offences emerged. The film includes insider perspectives and archive material, offering a glimpse into Brand's journey and the investigation carried out by The Times and The Sunday Times.
Viewers hear from Chief News Correspondent Rosamund Urwin and Investigations Correspondent Charlotte Wace, who appear in the streamer's trailer, available on Netflix's homepage and released just days after Brand's sentencing.
Journalists Voice Concerns
Wace is heard voicing concerns about safeguarding the identities of women who had come forward and about the ramifications of publishing any stories. She said: "I have a huge amount of respect for Ros, who started this in 2019. We voiced a lot of similar frustrations and fears and we had each other as sounding boards, but ultimately the most important thing was the women we had spoken to, doing everything we could to protect them."
She added: "It was that that made me feel sick at times, what was going to happen when we publish? And I was always just thinking worst-case scenarios, what happens if their identity is compromised in any way? What if their mental health is affected? Russell Brand is quite an unpredictable figure, would he go after them personally? We just didn't know."
Documentary Trailer Highlights
A separate teaser clip posted on YouTube, which contained no footage of the journalists, featured their voices stating: "People were afraid of their name being put out there." Elsewhere, another contributor remarked: "He's a grifter, he's a shapeshifter."
A further voice added: "We didn't know there would be criminal charges," while another questioned: "What is gonna happen when we publish?" A final contributor declared: "The reason I'm doing it is for the people that I do know personally that haven't been able to speak up."
Sentencing and Impact
The documentary comes from the same producers behind Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story, and follows Brand being handed a 10-year and six-month prison sentence for rape and sexual assault offences. Mr Justice Bennathan indicated that Brand would likely serve two thirds of his sentence behind bars.
David Roberts, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said in a statement following the sentencing: "Today, Russell Brand has been sentenced to 10 years and six months' imprisonment for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, committed against four women between 2004 and 2009."
He added: "We want to thank all the women who were at the heart of this case. They did not know each other, and each has carried what happened to them for almost two decades. Giving evidence in this trial, and being questioned about these deeply traumatising, personal events took extraordinary courage. They have been able to assist the court further through their Victim Personal Statements, read out today, in which they described in their own words the impact these violating attacks have had on their lives."
Brand, 51, was convicted at Southwark Crown Court in London this month. The comic shot to fame as a reality TV host in the early noughties before landing roles in blockbuster comedy films, from St Trinian's to Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek. Russell Brand: Open Secret launches on Netflix this Friday, November 13.
