LONDON: Britain’s BBC said on Sunday it was “urgently looking into the issues” raised by allegations of sexual assault made against the broadcaster’s former employee,

British comedian and actor Russell Brand, who denies the accusations.

Brand, 48, the former husband of US singer Katy Perry, worked on BBC radio programmes between 2006 and 2008.

He issued a denial on Saturday to unspecified “very serious criminal allegations”.

A BBC spokesperson said in a statement: “The documentary and associated reports contained serious allegations, spanning a number of years”.

Banijay UK, the production company behind a television show once hosted by Brand, said it had launched “an urgent internal investigation”.

London’s Metropolitan Police said it had not received any reports in relation to the allegations.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2023