Russell Brand’s early career was marked by a series of TV shows that pushed boundaries and shocked audiences. One of these shows was called RE:Brand, which was edgy and often controversial. It aired before he became widely known and was known for its outrageous content.
In RE:Brand, Russell did things that were considered out of control and provocative. For instance, he had a boxing match with his own father, which was meant to explore the idea of an Oedipus complex. This bout ended with Russell asking his father if they should go to a pub and try to pick up women, an uncomfortable and unusual scene.
But the show didn’t stop at family antics. In one episode, Russell took an 81-year-old woman named Wendy to a strip club in an attempt to kindle her sexuality. While they did share some intimate moments, the idea of intercourse was met with rejection from Wendy.
Perhaps one of the darkest aspects of the show was when Russell lived with a prostitute named Ali, trying to understand the dehumanizing nature of sex work. His intention was to spend several days with Ali and her boyfriend Pete, then contemplate whether he could bring himself to pay for sex. Thankfully, Pete was deeply upset by the suggestion, rendering the idea moot. There was even a scrapped idea where Russell wanted to turn his own mother into a brothel madam.
The show reached its climax, figuratively and literally, in the seventh and final episode titled “W—-y W—-y.” In this episode, Russell challenged his own sexuality by engaging in a sexual encounter with a gay man named Gary in a Soho pub toilet. Following this, he felt so disturbed that he quickly hired two lap dancers to engage in heterosexual activities with him in a limousine, attempting to reaffirm his heterosexuality.
It’s important to note that this series was created before Russell Brand sought help and went to rehab to address his issues with addiction. During the making of RE:Brand, he was often under the influence of alcohol and drugs. In his own words, he would consume a bottle of gin or vodka before filming. He later admitted that if he hadn’t already been a heroin addict, he might have turned to heroin to cope with the pressures of the show. At the time, he was in a psychologically damaged state, and the collateral damage of his actions affected vulnerable people like James, Ali, and Pete.
While some critics praised the show, it wasn’t renewed for another season. In the years that followed, allegations of sexual assault were made against Russell Brand, which he vehemently denied. Furthermore, he was accused of treating production staff poorly during his hosting of Big Brother spin-offs. Looking back, RE:Brand seems like a warning sign of his erratic behavior that went unnoticed at the time.
Source: The Telegraph
