Comedian and presenter Noel Fielding has said he is “horrified and deeply disturbed” by the rape conviction of his former collaborator Russell Brand, insisting he was “completely unaware” of the crimes.
Fielding, who appeared alongside Brand on numerous comedy programmes and panel shows during the 2000s and 2010s, said their connection was “professional rather than personal”.
The Great British Bake Off presenter also apologised for jokes he made with Brand, describing some of them as “horrible and inappropriate” and saying he “very much regretted” them.
Fielding, 53, was among several comedians who had appeared publicly close to Brand, 51. Brand was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Monday to 10 and a half years in prison after being convicted of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
The pair were familiar comedy collaborators during the noughties and 2010s and were eventually nicknamed “The Goth Detectives” because of their similar emo-inspired style. Fielding also mentioned Brand regularly in interviews.
However, Fielding appeared to distance himself from his former colleague after facing increasing pressure to comment on Brand’s 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. My thoughts are with the women whose courage brought him to justice.
“I appeared on television, radio and live charity shows with him, and while we played up our relationship for the cameras and the media, I regarded it as a professional relationship rather than a personal one.”
Noel Fielding and Russell Brand, pictured in 2012, were well-known collaborators and friends
He added: “I have had no contact with him for many years.”
Uncomfortable footage of jokes Fielding made with Brand resurfaced this week following the comedian’s conviction. One clip, from Channel 4’s Big Fat Quiz in 2007, featured the pair joking about being rapists in front of Lily Allen.
The singer later described the exchange as “really horrendous”.
In the minute-long clip, host Jimmy Carr introduces Rob Brydon, David Mitchell, Jonathan Ross, Fielding, Brand and Allen, who was the only female guest on the panel.
Ross looks towards Brand and Fielding before telling Carr: “I’m a bit concerned because look where you’ve put 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.”
“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 towards Brydon and Mitchell.
“And then, Lily might go home with her dress still on.”
Fielding replies: “How dare you? We’re not rapists,” prompting laughter from the audience.
Carr then asks Fielding why he is wearing a cape if he is not a rapist.
“It’s a Jack the Ripper cape. He wasn’t a rapist, he was just…” Fielding begins, before Brand adds: “A serial murderer. There is no direct corollary between capes and rape. It’s just a rhyme. Leave him alone.”
Brand continues: “What if, horror of horrors, he ain’t even done a rape? You could ruin his reputation.”
As the audience continues laughing, Brand asks Fielding: “Have you done a rape?”
Fielding covers his face with the cape and replies: “Well, if I have, I’d be leaving the scene of the crime like this.”
Allen appears uncomfortable throughout the exchange, looking down at her hands and grimacing as the comments are made.
Lily Allen grimaced during an uncomfortable exchange between Russell Brand and Noel Fielding on a Channel 4 programme, where they joked about being rapists
Allen later described the exchange as “really horrendous”, but said she remained silent because of the “culture” at the time
Fielding, pictured in April 2024, said he viewed his relationship with Brand as “professional rather than personal” and “very much regretted” some of their jokes
In 2023, Allen revisited the incident in an interview with Grazia UK, calling it “really horrendous” and saying she had not spoken up because of the “culture” at the time.
Fielding said on Friday night that he had reconsidered some of the jokes he made with Brand and was “appalled” by them, adding that he regretted them completely.
In 2016, Fielding appeared to hint at Brand’s behaviour when he was asked in a BBC interview whether he would consider touring with him.
He said: “I’m game if Russell is. I think a Goth Detectives tour could be fun. A sort of Agatha Christie whodunnit.
Hi, I’m Alex Matthews, Editor of The Crime Desk.
Russell Brand has been found guilty of rape and three sexual assaults, while our reporters Caroline Cheetham and Liz Hull were in court every day throughout the trial. They spoke to Detective Inspector Laura Nelson, who explained why the women who accused Brand in the documentary were not involved in his rape trial.
“Someone would get murdered – not for real – and then we would look for the murderer. I’d hunt for clues while Russell seduced the first four rows of the venue. He’s trying to cut down.”
The interview included a photograph of the pair on Instagram, although it has since been removed.
Fielding also referred to Brand during an interview with Lorraine Kelly on her ITV1 chat show, revealing that the pair had “occasionally” meditated together.
The Big Fat Quiz of the Year clip resurfaced alongside another video in which Brand joked about raping a woman.
In the now-deleted YouTube footage, taken from Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast in 2013, Brand described himself as a “mundane bloke… from a single-parent family” who had become a “pretty comprehensive show-off”.
Herring and the audience then erupted in laughter when Brand broke the silence by saying: “Oh, I’ve raped someone once” and “killed her after”.
In the same video, he joked about the ancient Greeks having sex with children while developing mathematics, saying: “They didn’t mind it, did they? They were clever, weren’t they?”
He then mimed having sex and said: “I’ve done another triangle. I’m f***ing a little kid. This is great. F**k the kid with the triangle. No, that’s too much.”
Brand also made jokes about adults, including babysitters, performing sex acts in front of children, including himself.
In the deleted interview with fellow comedian Herring, Brand, who also described himself as a “sex narcissist”, said: “Look at the women in this room. Even a bold estimate would be that I’ve slept with half of them. Currently.”
Fielding has never been accused of misconduct, and there is no suggestion that he knew about Brand’s crimes.
Questions have also been raised over whether other comedians were aware of Brand’s alleged sexual abuse and predatory behaviour during the noughties.
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that investigations into two allegations of rape made against Brand remain ongoing. Its chief, Sir Mark Rowley, said he would not be surprised if “many more” alleged victims came forward.