Richard Osman has described his longstanding reservations about Russell Brand, who received a major television opportunity through Endemol UK in 2004
Speaking on The Rest Is Entertainment with Marina Hyde, Osman said he had viewed Brand as unsuitable for collaborative comedy work and had heard troubling rumours about his conduct
He stressed that these concerns were not widely understood as allegations of criminal behaviour until around 2017 or 2018
Brand has since been convicted of rape and sexual assault and sentenced to ten-and-a-half years in prison.