Jonathan Ross distances himself from Russell Brand and David Walliams amid scrutiny over their ties

Jonathan Ross says he had no knowledge of any alleged predatory behaviour by David Walliams when he made a joke about Walliams and a 15-year-old at the 2004 British Comedy Awards. He is now trying to distance himself from both Walliams and Russell Brand, whose past friendship with Ross has drawn renewed attention after Brand was convicted of rape and sexual assaults.

The article examines how close Ross was to the two comedians and questions whether his explanation for the joke fits the context at the time. Ross says the joke was written by the awards’ script team and that he understood it as referring to Walliams dating younger adult women; reports from 2004 linked Walliams to Lisa Snowdon, one year younger than him, and Abi Titmuss, five years younger. Walliams denies the allegations against him, has not been charged, and is not the subject of civil claims; police have announced an investigation into separate alleged serious sexual offences.