Russell Brand's inner circle of celebrity friends: From David Walliams to Jonathan Ross and Noel Fielding...and those who 'abandoned him' at rape trial

At the height of his fame, Russell Brand was fawned over by his celebrity friends who lapped up the comedian's disturbing 'jokes' and lewd behaviour on screen.From TV appearances with Noel Fielding, David Walliams and Jonathan Ross to having creepy conversations on BBC Radio 2 with paedophile Jimmy Savile, Brand made no effort to hide his obsession with sex.But now the disturbing truth about the convicted rapist has been exposed, there has been a notable silence from those who once adored him.Brand, 51, today faces being sentenced to several years behind bars after he was convicted of raping one of his fans and sexually assaulting three other women between 2004 and 2009.During his high-profile trial, the sexual predator admitted he had been unable to persuade friends and former colleagues to testify on his behalf after the 'devastating' allegations - and that no one would go near him with a 'bargepole'.One of Brand's closest friends in the showbiz circle was Great British Bake Off host Noel Fielding. Rising to fame in the noughties, Brand and Fielding first met at the NME Awards and quickly became good friends. The tousle-haired comics would often be booked together by producers, but an uncomfortable TV moment has resurfaced in the wake of Brand's convictions.During Channel 4's Big Fat Quiz of the Year in 2007, Brand joked with Fielding about being rapists in front of singer Lily Allen - something she later described as 'really horrendous'.Russell Brand, Noel Gallagher and Jonathan Ross pictured together at The Hoping Foundation's 'Rock On' benefit evening for Palestinian refugee children in 2013 Noel Fielding and Russell Brand, pictured in 2012, were known collaborators and friends Russell Brand and David Walliams on stage at Little Britain's Big Night, in aid of Comic Relief in 2006In a minute-long clip from the show, host Jimmy Carr can be seen welcoming Rob Brydon, David Mitchell, Jonathan Ross, Fielding and Brand onto the show, alongside Allen – the only female guest appearing on the show.Ross looks at Brand and Fielding as he tells 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 to Brydon and Mitchell.'And then, Lily might go home with her dress still on.'Fielding replies: 'How dare you? We're not rapists,' which provokes laughter from the crowd.Carr then asks the comedian 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 says, as 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.'The audience continue to laugh as Brand asks him: 'Have you done a rape?'Fielding then placed his cape across his face and said: 'Well, if I have, I'd be leaving the scene of the crime like this.'Allen can be seen looking uncomfortable throughout the exchange, glancing down at her hands and grimacing at the comments. In 2023, she said it was 'really horrendous' but had stayed silent because of the 'culture' at the time.Chat show host Ross is someone Brand also became close to in the late 2000s.The disgraced comedian appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in May 2006.But their careers nearly imploded after they made a series of lewd jokes to Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs on their BBC Radio 2 show.In a scandal later dubbed 'Sachsgate', they left shocking voicemails to the actor about Brand's relationship with Sachs' 23-year-old granddaughter, Georgina Baillie, after he failed to appear for an interview on their show.At one point, Ross shouted: 'He f***ed your granddaughter!'After a wave of complaints and a £150,000 fine to the BBC, Brand left the station and moved to the US, while Ross was suspended from the Corporation for 12 weeks. Another key player in Brand's inner circle was Little Britain star David Walliams.The actor and author, who has been dropped by publisher HarperCollins following allegations of 'inappropriate behaviour towards women', even attended Brand's stag-do in 2010, before his marriage to popstar Katy Perry.The comedians appeared in several skits together, including joking about pretending to be gay as a 'smokescreen' in a veiled reference to seducing women. Lily Allen pulled a grimace during an uncomfortable exchange between Russell Brand and Noel Fielding on a Channel 4 show in which they joked about being rapists Allen later reflected on the moment as 'really horrendous' but stayed silent because of the 'culture' at the timeBrand invited Walliams onto the first episode of his own TV programme on November 24, 2006, which aired on Channel 4.On The Russell Brand Show, Brand and Walliams shared a kiss on the lips, before the host was presented with an antique top hat by his guest as a present.Fellow guest, actor Matt Lucas, joked: 'You are like the two gayest straight blokes there are.'Walliams said: 'Isn't it a wonderful smokescreen?'Brand agreed, adding: 'It works wonderfully well.' Only two days earlier, Brand had appeared on stage with Walliams to perform onstage during Little Britain's Big Night charity gala performance in aid of Comic Relief at the Hammersmith Apollo.During the show Walliams was dressed up as a woman leaning across Brand on a couch. Walliams told guests on the Russell Brand Show that he initially 'hated' the comedian when he met him. He said: 'I hated you when I first met you on that boat. You were on heroin then.'To which Brand replied: 'Oh yes, I was a very different girl then.' In another grim historic moment, Brand said he would make his female assistant strip naked to meet Jimmy Savile.The pair spoke during a creepy BBC Radio 2 segment on May 26, 2007, when Brand offers to bring the 'very attractive' woman to a meeting with the prolific paedophile.In the clip, Brand is heard saying: 'It would be nice to meet you one day Mr Jimmy Savile.'Savile replies: 'Well if you've got a sister, you could meet me by bringing her along...I don't usually meet fellas but if you've a sister that's OK.' Brand and Walliams are joined on stage by the Little Britain actor and comic Matt LucasBrand and Walliams hugging at the after party for the British Comedy Awards 2006 in London Brand was supported by Walliams after he was sacked for verbally abusing the then 78-year-old former Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs on BBC Radio 2 Brand then says: 'I haven't got any sisters... I've got a personal assistant called Marsha and part of her job description is anyone I demand she greets, meets, massages, she has to do it, she's very attractive Jimmy.' Savile responds: 'Well, that's a good start. You could send her along to do some research.' Brand then asks: 'Would you like her to wear anything in particular?' to which Savile replies: 'I'd actually prefer her to wear nothing.' Brand confirms: 'So you want Marsha, my assistant, to meet you naked. OK well that's not going to be a problem...nothing wrong with that.' During his peak of fame, Brand also had a close friendship with Noel Gallagher after the Oasis frontman attended one of his comedy shows in 2005. They were spotted at West Ham's former stadium Upton Park in 2016, where they watched the Hammers take on Gallagher's beloved Manchester City.'I love Russell. He doesn't half talk out of his a**e sometimes,' Gallagher previously said.Meanwhile, Brand described Gallagher as 'the sweetest, most thoughtful, sensitive person'. 'He gives very good advice if I ever have problems with relationships or friendships or fame,' he said in 2009.Brand was also Gallagher's best man when he married publicist Sarah McDonald in 2011. Then six years later, Gallagher attended Brand's wedding to Laura Gallagher, who he is still married to today.Last year, in the wake of allegations against Brand, the Oasis star was reportedly advised by his daughter, Anaïs, to cut ties ahead of the band's world reunion tour.The model and entrepreneur is said to have urged her father to remove Brand from his social media accounts as the close friendship 'wasn't a good look' for Gallagher's image.A source told The Sun: 'Anaïs realised that her dad's close links to Brand and all the stuff they'd done together wasn't a very good look. She's very PR savvy.'There was a discussion and Noel agreed cutting ties was the best. Anaïs, Noel and the rest of the family are horrified at Brand's alleged behaviour and had no idea what was going on.'Meanwhile, TV adventurer Bear Grylls, who became close with Brand in 2023 and attended his baptism in London after the sexual misconduct allegations emerged, has sought to justify their friendship.After Brand's conviction last week, he wrote on X: 'Brand's faith seemed genuine to me at the time when I was a guest at his private baptism. I have attended a few now. 'Even visiting in prisons with people who have committed terrible crimes. It's part of our calling as men and women of faith, to love and serve anyone. It is the sick that need healing. 'Judgement is for the courts and God… I wouldn't want to ever discourage someone's coming to faith. It is right that justice has now been served. I can't imagine how hard this time has been for the victims, the heroes of the day.'Despite overwhelming silence from his celebrity friends, he has built a new legion of supporters in the US - including MAGA commentator Megyn Kelly. She has said she 'does not believe the charges' and called Brand an 'utterly charming guy', adding: 'I believe he dearly loves his wife Laura, his children, and, as I said, I think he has found God and he's asked for forgiveness from a lifestyle that he completely rejects now.' Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher and Russell Brand were previously close friends While enjoying friendships with other male celebrities, famous women in the industry have been sounding the alarm for many years.Katherine Ryan confronted Brand during the Comedy Central Roast in 2018, telling the audience: 'I'm not getting paid enough to be here, especially considering how many times my face will be on the news when the victims come forward.' She also told Louis Theroux that there was a 'predator' in the comedy industry, but she could not name him due to it being a 'litigious minefield'. After Brand's conviction, she said she felt 'grief and relief'. Meanwhile back in 2006, Australian star Dannii Minogue called Brand a 'vile predator' after she appeared on his MTV chat show.She said: '[Brand] is completely crazy and a bit of a vile predator. I certainly don't think he has cured his sex addiction, that's for sure. He wouldn't take no for an answer.' The same year, Brand disturbingly asked Vanessa Feltz if he could have sex with her 15-year-old daughter.The TV presenter appeared on the convicted rapist's MTV chat show, 1 Leicester Square, in 2006.During an uncomfortable conversation between the pair, Brand continued to ask if he could 'have it off' with Ms Feltz's two daughters.Ms Feltz became visibly more uncomfortable as the interview went on, with her answers becoming more serious.As the awkward encounter continued, Brand then made jokes about having sex with his own future daughters.Speaking on This Morning years later, the presenter said she could not pretend she thought that was funny.She said there was something 'extremely chilling' about the disgraced comedian and actor, finding him 'ruthless and a bit scary'.