Senior British politicians on Monday urged police to investigate as the U.K. entertainment industry faced questions about whether the comedian香蕉视频直播檚 bad behavior went unchallenged because of his fame.

Brand denies allegations of sexual assault made by four women in a Channel 4 television documentary and The Times and Sunday Times newspapers. The accusers, who have not been named, include one who said she was sexually assaulted during a relationship with him when she was 16. Another woman says Brand raped her in Los Angeles in 2012.

Brand, 48, has rejected all the claims, saying in a video statement that his relationships were 香蕉视频直播渁lways consensual.香蕉视频直播�

The Times said Monday that more women had contacted the newspaper with allegations against Brand and they would be 香蕉视频直播渞igorously checked.香蕉视频直播�

Max Blain, spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, said the claims were 香蕉视频直播渧ery serious and concerning,香蕉视频直播� and those making the allegations should be 香蕉视频直播渢reated seriously and treated with sensitivity.香蕉视频直播�

Conservative legislator Caroline Nokes, who chairs the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, urged police in both Britain and the United States to investigate the 香蕉视频直播渋ncredibly shocking香蕉视频直播� allegations.

香蕉视频直播淭his merits and needs a criminal investigation, because for too long we have seen men 香蕉视频直播� and the perpetrators of these sorts of crimes are almost invariably men 香蕉视频直播� not being held to account for their behaviors and their actions,香蕉视频直播� she told BBC radio.

London香蕉视频直播檚 Metropolitan Police force said it would speak to the Sunday Times and Channel 4 to ensure 香蕉视频直播渁ny victims of crime who they have spoken with are aware of how they may report any criminal allegations to police.香蕉视频直播�

The claims have renewed debate about the 香蕉视频直播渓ad culture香蕉视频直播� that flourished in Britain in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the misogyny that still percolates on the internet.

The allegations reported by the newspapers and Channel 4 cover the period between 2006 and 2013, when Brand was a major star in Britain with a growing U.S. profile.

Known for his unbridled and risqu茅 standup routines, he hosted shows on radio and television, wrote memoirs charting his battles with drugs and alcohol, appeared in several Hollywood movies and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.

Brand was suspended by the BBC in 2008 for making lewd prank calls to 香蕉视频直播淔awlty Towers香蕉视频直播� actor Andrew Sachs in which he boasted about having sex with Sachs香蕉视频直播� granddaughter. He quit his radio show in the wake of the incident, which drew thousands of complaints to the publicly funded broadcaster.

The BBC, Channel 4 and the production company behind the 香蕉视频直播淏ig Brother香蕉视频直播� reality series 香蕉视频直播� spinoffs of which were hosted by Brand 香蕉视频直播� all say they have launched investigations into Brand香蕉视频直播檚 behavior and how complaints were handled.

Brand also has been dropped by talent agency Tavistock Wood, which said it had been 香蕉视频直播渉orribly misled香蕉视频直播� by him.

Supporters of Brand asked why the allegations were being made years after the alleged incidents. The women said that they only felt ready to tell their stories after being approached by reporters, with some citing Brand香蕉视频直播檚 newfound prominence as an online wellness influencer as a factor in their decision to speak.

Victims and the media also have to take account of Britain香蕉视频直播檚 claimant-friendly libel laws, which put the burden of proof on those making allegations.

In recent years Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media but has built up a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories. His YouTube channel, which has more than 6 million subscribers, includes COVID-19 conspiracies, vaccine misinformation and interviews with right-wing broadcasters including Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan.

He also continues to tour as a comedian, performing to hundreds of people in a London venue on Saturday evening as the Channel 4 documentary was broadcast.

Ellie Tomsett, a senior lecturer in media and communications at Birmingham City University who studies Britain香蕉视频直播檚 standup circuit, said Brand was a product of a live comedy scene that was riddled with misogyny 香蕉视频直播� and still is, despite progress made by women and others to diversify the comic landscape.

香蕉视频直播淲hen we香蕉视频直播檝e had a rise of popular feminism 香蕉视频直播� we香蕉视频直播檝e also had a rise in popular misogyny epitomized by the likes of (social media influencer) Andrew Tate, but evident in all aspects of society, and definitely reflected on the U.K. comedy circuit,香蕉视频直播� Tomsett said

香蕉视频直播淢ore and more things are springing up to try and counter this, but the idea that it香蕉视频直播檚 something that happened in the past and doesn香蕉视频直播檛 happen anymore is, quite frankly, nonsense,香蕉视频直播� she added.

Jill Lawless, The Associated Press