LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Russell Brand, who was recently accused of sexual assault and rape, has been embroiled in a slew of shocking controversies over the years, including one with 'Fawlty Towers' star Andrew Sachs.
The accusations of rape, sexual assault, and emotional abuse against Brand by the four women were brought out in a joint expose by The Times, Sunday Times, and Channel 4.
He's said to have committed the assaults between 2006 and 2013 while he worked for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4.
Working as a Radio 2 presenter, Brand sparked a controversy in 2008 when he made a series of prank calls to 'Fawlty Towers' star Andrew Sachs and made obscene comments about his granddaughter Georgina Baillie.
What is the 'Sachsgate' scandal?
'Sachsgate' was a scandal that cost Russell Brand his job at Radio 2 after he and fellow presenter Jonathan Ross left lewd messages on Andrew Sachs' answering machine on the October 16, 2008, episode of 'The Russell Brand Show'.
Unable to reach Sachs on his phone, the duo left four messages on his answering machine, apparently making repeated explicit claims about Brand’s relationship with Georgina Baillie.
Baillie, who was a dancer with a group called 'Satanic Sluts', revealed that she was only 23 when she had a fling with the then 30-year-old comedian, as per Mirror.
In his voice messages, Brand reportedly asked Sachs if he had his "permission" to marry his granddaughter while another saw him saying, "But it was consensual and she wasn't menstrual, it was consensual lovely sex," as reported by The Guardian.
The comedian continued, "It was full of respect I sent her a text, I've asked her to marry me, Andrew Sachs."
Later on in the program, Ross remarked that anyone hurt by the prank calls made to Sachs was "crazy."
The actions of Brand and Ross sparked a severe outcry, and the BBC received more than 40,000 complaints after Sachs said he was horrified at what the pair had done, according to Daily Mail.
As a result, the comedian and the then-controller of Radio 2, Lesley Douglas, resigned from their position, and Ross was also suspended from broadcasting for three months.
How did Russell Brand’s prank calls impact Georgina Baillie?
The 'Sachsgate' not only impacted Russell Brand’s career but also took a toll on Georgina Baillie, who later developed an addiction to drugs and alcohol.
"I thought I was just a 20-year-old girl at a party but looking back on it years later I was already in the throes of addiction myself. I was really lost back then," shared Georgina shared after the incident, as per Mirror.
She added, "After Sachsgate, Russell made millions of pounds doing a stand-up routine about it and that was very hard and painful for me - I was the butt of the joke, I was young and didn't know how to process it and I turned to drink and drugs."
Brand later apologized to Baillie and supposedly paid for her rehab, as he knew his behavior toward her was appalling.
Andrew Sachs' granddaughter recently stated that she was never attacked by Brand, but hoped "these alleged survivors get the help that they need."
"I hope these alleged survivors get the help that they need. For about ten years after Sachsgate, it was very hard because I didn't know whether I was in the wrong, so when he apologised it was a huge weight lifted off me," expressed Baillie.
