14 Nov 2026, 12:20 PM

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The imprisonment of Russell Brand and allegations against David Walliams have prompted scrutiny of a culture that encouraged male transgressionIn a 2008 episode of BBC Two’s comedy panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, the choreographer Arlene Phillips – the only woman on the programme – was told by the host Simon Amstell: “You look like you run a good whore house.” In reply, Phillips told a story with what appeared to be faux sincerity: while working with big stars, she explained, she would sometimes be asked to find dancers with “very special abilities” who might want to party after filming. Another panellist, the TV presenter Dermot O’Leary, mimed picking up a phone and said: “When you’re dancing tonight, do you mind having sex afterwards?” Everyone laughed.Russell Brand’s imprisonment for rape and sexual assault this week, and allegations of sexual misconduct against the comedian and children’s author David Walliams have prompted scrutiny not only of the men involved, but of those who appeared to enable them. The chatshow host Jonathan Ross has apologised for a 2004 joke, in which he described the 15-year-old British comedy awards as being “like most 15-year-olds: drunk, unpredictable and probably going home with David Walliams”. The latter has denied the allegations made against him in reporting by the Guardian and ITV News, but is now the focus of an investigation by the Met police on separate sexual misconduct claims. Continue reading...

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