Comedian and presenter Noel Fielding has said that he is 'horrified and deeply disturbed' by his former friend Russell Brand's rape conviction, adding that he had been 'completely unaware' of his crimes.
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he → say → crimes
Fielding, who appeared on numerous comedy shows and panels with Brand and collaborated with him in the early 2000s and 2010s, said his relationship with the disgraced comedian had been 'professional rather than personal'.
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relationship → appear → comedian
The Bake Off presenter also apologised for some of the jokes he made alongside Brand, saying they were 'horrible and inappropriate' and that he 'very much regretted' them.
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he → apologise → them
Fielding, 53, was one of many comics who had publicly appeared to be close to Brand, 51, who was jailed at Southwark Crown Court on Monday for 10 and a half years after being convicted of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
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who → appear → assault
The pair were known to be close comedy collaborators and friends during the noughties and 2010s, eventually being dubbed 'The Goth Detectives' for their similar emo-aesthetic, with Fielding often mentioning the now-disgraced comedian in interviews.
But Fielding appeared to distance himself from his former colleague after facing mounting calls to provide his response to Brand's conviction.
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Fielding → know → conviction
He told the Sun: 'I was horrified and deeply disturbed to learn of Russell Brand's crimes, which I was completely unaware of until they became public knowledge.
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they → tell → which
My thoughts are with the women whose courage brought him to justice.
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courage → bring → justice
'I appeared on TV, radio and live charity shows with him, and whilst we played it up for the cameras and in the media, I considered it a professional relationship, rather than a personal one.
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it → appear → media
Noel Fielding and Russell Brand, pictured in 2012, were known collaborators and friends
He added: 'I have had no contact with him for many years.'
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I → picture → years
Uncomfortable clips of jokes Fielding had previously made with Brand reemerged this week in the wake of the comic's conviction - including a joke during Channel 4's Big Fat Quiz about the two being rapists in front of Lily Allen in 2007.
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two → make → 2007
The singer later described the exchange as 'really horrendous'.
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singer → describe → exchange
During the minute-long clip, host Jimmy Carr can be seen welcoming Rob Brydon, David Mitchell, Jonathan Ross, Fielding and Brand, and Allen – the only female guest appearing on the show.
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Carr → see → show
Ross looks at Brand and Fielding as he tells Carr: 'I'm a bit concerned because look where you've put us.
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you → look → us
'You've put the only sexually attractive young lady – well, the only young lady full stop, she happens to be very attractive as well – near two of the best known c***smen of the business.
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she → put → business
'I'm going to insist as a sort of uncle figure in Lily's life that she moves over there because obviously that's the sexless zone,' Ross continues, pointing to Brydon and Mitchell.
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Ross → go → Brydon
'And then, Lily might go home with her dress still on.'
Lily Allen pulled a grimace during an uncomfortable exchange between Russell Brand and Noel Fielding on a Channel 4 show in which they joked about being rapists
Allen later reflected on the moment as 'really horrendous' but stayed silent because of the 'culture' at the time
Fielding replies: 'How dare you?
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you → go → time
Carr then asks the comedian why he is wearing a cape if he is not a rapist.
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he → ask → cape
He wasn't a rapist, he was just...' Fielding says, as Brand adds: 'A serial murderer.
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Brand → say → ?
Brand continues: 'What if, horror of horrors, he ain't even done a rape.
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he → continue → rape
You could ruin his reputation.'
The audience continue to laugh as Brand asks him: 'Have you done a rape?'
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you → ruin → rape
Fielding then placed his cape across his face and said: 'Well, if I have, I'd be leaving the scene of the crime like this.'
Allen can be seen looking uncomfortable throughout the exchange, glancing down at her hands and making a grimacing face at the comments.
In 2023, she reflected on the moment and told Grazia UK it was 'really horrendous', but that she had stayed silent because of the 'culture' at the time.
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she → place → time
Fielding (pictured in April 2024) said he regarded his relationship with the comedian as 'professional rather than personal' and that he 'very much regretted' some of the jokes they had made
Fielding said on Friday night that he had reflected on some of the jokes he had made with Brand and been 'appalled' by them, saying he completely regretted them.
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he → picture → them
In 2016, Fielding had hinted at Brand's behaviour after being asked in a BBC interview if he would be up for touring with him.
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he → hint → him
He said: 'I'm game if Russell is.
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Russell → say → ?
I think a Goth Detectives tour could be fun.
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tour → think → ?
'Someone would get murdered (not for real) and then we would look for the murderer.
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we → murder → murderer
I'd hunt for clues while Russell seduced the first four rows of the venue (he's trying to cut down).
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he → hunt → venue
A picture of the pair on Instagram was included with the interview – but has since been taken down.
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picture → include → interview
Fielding again referred to Brand during an interview with Lorraine Kelly on her ITV1 chat show, where he revealed that the pair 'occasionally' meditated together.
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pair → refer → show
The clip of their time on Channel 4's Big Fat Quiz of the Year resurfaced alongside another video in which Brand joked about raping a woman.
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Brand → resurface → woman
In the now-deleted clip from YouTube, Brand was speaking to Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast in 2013 where he claimed he was a 'mundane bloke... from a single-parent family' who became a 'pretty comprehensive show-off'.
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who → delete → family
But Herring and the audience roared with laughter when the star broke the silence and said: 'Oh I've raped someone once' and 'killed her after'.
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I → roar → her
In the same video he joked about the ancient Greeks having sex with children while creating mathematics, saying: 'They didn't mind it did they.
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they → joke → it
He then mimicked having sex and said: 'I've done another triangle.
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I → mimic → triangle
I'm f***ing a little kid.
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I → f***e → kid
He also joked about adults such as babysitters performing sex acts in front of children, including him.
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He → joke → him
In the deleted YouTube interview with fellow comedian Herring, Brand, who also called himself a 'sex narcissist', says: 'Look at the women in this room.
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who → delete → room
Even a bold estimate would be that I've slept with half of them.
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I → sleep → them
Fielding has never been accused of any misconduct and it is not suggested he knew about Brand's behaviour.
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he → accuse → behaviour
Questions have also been raised about whether other comics had any knowledge of Brand's sexual abuse and predatory behaviour in the noughties.
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comics → raise → noughties
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
