Quick summary
- Netflix has announced Russell Brand: Open Secret, a documentary about the comedian’s rise and the investigation that led to his conviction, according to Variety.
- It comes from 72 Films, the Fremantle-owned team behind Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story, and is directed by Olivia Isaacs.
- Russell Brand was jailed on Monday 9 November for 10 years and six months after being convicted of one rape and three sexual assaults.
- No release date appears in the reports we reviewed.
Netflix has commissioned a documentary on Russell Brand, titled Russell Brand: Open Secret, just days after the comedian was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison. The Hollywood Reporter says the film will trace his path from comedy stardom to the criminal trial. Our earlier report covers the sentencing itself.
What the Netflix documentary will cover
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is made by 72 Films, a Fremantle company, and directed by Olivia Isaacs. It promises insider voices and archive footage. It will also follow the investigation by The Times and The Sunday Times, led by chief news correspondent Rosamund Urwin and investigations correspondent Charlotte Wace.
The central question, the trade paper reports, is how Brand avoided punishment for so long when many people in the television industry knew about his behaviour. Variety adds that Clare Cameron, David Glover and Mark Raphael are executive producers, with Kate Yandle, Laura Spence and Felicity Cross producing.
72 Films was founded by Glover and Raphael as a high-end documentary label. Variety lists 9/11: One Day in America, an Emmy winner, and John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial, a Critics Choice winner, among its credits. The company also made the true-crime title Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story, about Jimmy Savile.
The conviction behind the film
A London jury found Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, Variety reports. He was cleared of two other rape charges and one charge of attempted indecent assault. Mr Justice Bennathan told him he had “become a sexual predator” and, in The Hollywood Reporter’s account, described “staggering arrogance”. Brand was taken to HMP Wandsworth.
He is expected to serve about seven years before release on licence. Variety notes that the judge ruled Brand cannot be released until two thirds of the term is complete.
The allegations first became public in 2023, in a docuseries by The Sunday Times and Channel 4’s Dispatches. Until then Brand was best known for comedy and for films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek. Variety also reports that the Metropolitan Police confirmed an investigation into further rape allegations from two other women. Those are allegations only, and no charges have been announced.
A character reference from Georgina Baillie
Separate reporting on Thursday shifted attention to the sentencing hearing. The Press Association obtained a character reference from Georgina Baillie, granddaughter of the late actor Andrew Sachs, who was at the centre of the 2008 Sachsgate affair that cost Brand his BBC Radio 2 show.
The Independent reports that she described Brand as “always lovely” and said he “understood and respected boundaries”. She wrote that the two had around 12 encounters over a year from 2006. LBC quotes her saying she had “just as good a reason as anyone not to support Russell” but chose to do so. The Daily Mail notes the letter did not appear to sway the judge.
Fallout for those who defended him
Public support has carried a cost. Nine reports that Icicle Works singer Ian McNabb lost shows in Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh after posts defending Brand, which have since been deleted. Promoter Ewan McNaught said agent, promoter and venues agreed the dates could not go ahead.
For more on the aftermath, see our coverage of Meta removing Brand’s Instagram and everything under the Russell Brand tag.
What happens next
Netflix has not given a release date in the reports we reviewed. The Metropolitan Police is assessing, with the Crown Prosecution Service, whether to bring further charges, according to The Independent. Any new development could change what the documentary ends up covering.
Frequently asked questions
What is Russell Brand: Open Secret?
It is a Netflix documentary from 72 Films, directed by Olivia Isaacs. It examines Brand’s career and the newspaper investigation that preceded his trial.
What was Russell Brand sentenced to?
He received 10 years and six months in prison on Monday 9 November, after being convicted of one rape and three sexual assaults.
When will Open Secret be released?
No date has been announced in the sources we reviewed.
Is Russell Brand facing further allegations?
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it is investigating further rape allegations from two other women. No further charges have been announced.
