Quick summary
- Georgina Baillie says she felt like “the most hated person in Britain” after the 2008 Sachsgate row, in the Netflix documentary Russell Brand: Open Secret.
- The film was released on Friday 13 November, days after Russell Brand was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison.
- Baillie, now 41, also wrote a character reference that was presented to the judge at his sentencing, according to The Independent.
- The Metropolitan Police are still investigating further alleged rapes, with files under consideration by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Georgina Baillie says the 2008 radio prank that dragged her grandfather’s name through the headlines left her feeling like the most hated person in Britain. She made the comments in Russell Brand: Open Secret, which arrived on Netflix on Friday 13 November, according to The Independent.
What Georgina Baillie said about Sachsgate
The row began on BBC Radio 2, when Brand and Jonathan Ross left lewd messages about Baillie on the answering machine of her grandfather, actor Andrew Sachs, the Fawlty Towers star. Baillie was 23 at the time. The Independent reports that the episode drew heavy criticism from the public and politicians, including then prime minister Gordon Brown. Brand resigned, Ross was suspended, and Ofcom fined the BBC £150,000.
Speaking on camera, Baillie said she could not understand why so many adults seemed to hate her. “I really felt like I was the most hated person in Britain,” she said. She added that she was cast as a “press whore slut” and “made into a villain”.
She also compared how the three people involved were treated. In her telling, Ross received a quick slap on the wrist and went back to work, while Brand carried on. The Independent notes that the two men appeared to avoid severe consequences.
The billboard that hurt most
One detail stands out in her account. While she was trying to rebuild her life, Baillie said, she saw a huge billboard with Brand’s face and the word “Scandalous”, which advertised his stand-up show. She felt he was using what happened to her and her family as material, and said so in blunt terms.
Her account of the relationship
According to The Independent, Baillie and Brand had a consensual, casual relationship over about a year after they met in 2006. She has described it as 12 casual sexual encounters. In the documentary she says she knew she was not the only woman he was seeing and had no illusions about it. She also mentions that he was surrounded by well-known women at the time, naming Kate Moss.
The character reference
The documentary arrives alongside another detail that has drawn attention. Despite her anger over Sachsgate, Baillie wrote a character reference that was presented to the judge at Brand’s hearing on Monday 9 November. In it she wrote that he never behaved aggressively, coercively or without regard to her wishes, and that he respected boundaries. She added that she had “perhaps just as good a reason as anyone not to support Russell” but chose to support him because of the person she knew.
Those comments describe her own experience only. Brand was found guilty on Thursday 5 November of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault against four victims between 2004 and 2009, and was sentenced on 9 November. The Independent reports he is expected to serve two-thirds of the term before release on licence and will be on the sex offenders’ register for life. We have covered the letter separately in Georgina Baillie’s character reference for Russell Brand explained and her letter to the judge.
Netflix under pressure
The release follows backlash against the streamer for keeping Brand’s 2018 stand-up special available after the verdicts, The Independent says. For more on the platform’s output, see our TV & Dramas coverage.
What happens next
The Metropolitan Police continue to investigate Brand over further alleged rapes, and charging files are under consideration by the Crown Prosecution Service. No decision has been reported. Baillie has not announced any further projects in the sources we reviewed.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sachsgate?
It was a 2008 scandal in which Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross left lewd voicemails about Georgina Baillie on Andrew Sachs’s answering machine during a BBC Radio 2 show. Brand resigned, Ross was suspended and the BBC was fined £150,000.
Who is Georgina Baillie?
She is the granddaughter of Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs. She was 23 when the prank call aired and is now 41.
Where can I watch the documentary?
Russell Brand: Open Secret is streaming on Netflix, where it was released on Friday 13 November.
What was Russell Brand convicted of?
A jury found him guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault involving four victims between 2004 and 2009. He was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison.
