Comedy boss Jack Bayles steps back after Russell Brand verdict
Jack Bayles, the head of comedy at production company Various Artists Limited, has been asked to step back from the company while it considers the verdict in the Russell Brand trial and the events around it. Deadline reported the move on 6 November 2026.
Bayles has also been temporarily dropped from three productions. They are The Choir, a new Apple TV series from James Corden and Ruth Jones, the third season of BBC drama Such Brave Girls, and the BBC show Push. "Temporarily dropped" means he has been taken off these projects for now.
Brand was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault after a four-week trial at Southwark Crown Court in London. The jury found him not guilty on two counts of rape and one count of attempted indecent assault. Brand had denied all the alleged crimes against him. The allegations involved six women and spanned 10 years.
During the trial, one woman told the court that in 2009 Bayles and another producer asked her to give Brand a massage. She said they watched without stepping in, and laughed when she told Brand he was "so bony." Bayles did not give evidence in the trial. The woman also described the alleged assault by Brand as "frenzied" and "violent," and said that Bayles and the other producer laughed during it. The Irish Times carried her account from the court.
Bayles has responded through his representatives. He said he is appalled and sickened by Brand's actions. He also said he could not recall the massage incident. He told Deadline that he stopped working with Brand in 2010 and has had no contact with him since.
Bayles joined Various Artists in 2022, after several years as a comedy commissioning editor at Channel 4. He won a BAFTA for Such Brave Girls. Various Artists also produced I May Destroy You, Michaela Coel's series about a young writer rebuilding her life after being raped.
For the people who work on these shows, the decisions made in the coming weeks will matter most. The Choir, Such Brave Girls and Push each involve crews, writers and cast who are waiting to hear what happens next. Any further decision from Various Artists, Apple or the BBC will be the next thing to watch.
