Nigel Farage recalls ‘upsetting’ Russell Brand during BBC encounter

In the classic BBC moment, Farage grilled Brand over whether he believes the country is “overcrowded” as a result of mass immigration.

Farage, who was the UKIP leader at the time, said Brand was “really upset” by a piece he wrote immediately after leaving the stage.

WATCH NIGEL'S REMARKS BELOW

The GB News presenter said the audience “took him to bits” after Brand attacked Farage, branding him a “pound shop Enoch Powell”.

“What really upset him was I wrote a piece immediately coming off stage”, he said.

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“I wrote a piece that went online on the Independent newspaper just before midnight.

“The last thing I saw of Russell Brand before he went onto that set was his two personal makeup artists combing his chest hair so that it looked right on his television.

“That didn't please him.”

It comes after both Channel 4 and the BBC launched investigations into the comedian and actor’s time at their channels amid rape and sexual allegations.

Brand has strongly denied the allegations.

Accusations have been made about Brand’s behaviour between 2006 and 2013, when he was at the height of his fame following a joint investigation by The Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches.

The BBC has announced a review into Brand’s time at the corporation between 2006 and 2008 which Mr Davie said will have an “initial report in weeks, not months”.

During a long-arranged session with BBC staff on Tuesday, he said the probe will be led by the BBC’s director of editorial complaints Peter Johnston and “the objective is to be totally transparent”.

He also said: “The review will also look at the position regarding any cars used by the BBC at that time – because that was obviously something that, again, in a powerful testimony, was mentioned.”

In a video posted on Friday, Brand denied the claims which also include allegations of controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour.

Brand said he has been “promiscuous” but that all of his relationships have been “consensual”.

On his channels, he covers news stories, including alleged misinformation surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic and being an outspoken sceptic of the vaccine.

Last year, one of his videos was taken down on YouTube over the site’s policy on Covid-19 disinformation, which prompted Brand to move his channel to Rumble.