Inside Sachsgate scandal as Andrew Sachs’ granddaughter Georgina Baillie says Russell Brand made millions from fling
ANDREW Sachs’ granddaughter has claimed Russel Brand made millions from their fling.
Brand, 48, and fellow comedian Jonathan Ross, 62, left vulgar voicemails on Sachs’ phone during a series of prank calls broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 2008.
The scandal, which became known as Sachsgate, saw Brand resign from the BBC and Ross suspended from his TV show for three months.
Sachs was renowned for playing Spanish waiter Manuel in hit sitcom Fawlty Towers.
Sachs’ granddaughter Georgina Baillie was just 20 at the time of the fling, and says she was “completely dazzled by celebrity”.
It comes as five women accused the star of rape and sexual abuse in a joint investigation by The Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches.
Brand denies all allegations of wrongdoing.
Georgina told the Mirror her relationship with Brand, which took place when he was 30, was consensual but his cruel jokes came at a time when she was in the throes of addiction.
She said: “I was really lost back then. After Sachsgate, Russell made millions of pounds doing a stand-up routine about it and that was very hard and painful for me – I was the butt of the joke, I was young and didn’t know how to process it and I turned to drink and drugs.”
Georgina was 23 when Sachsgate caused national outrage.
Even Gordon Brown spoke out against the presenters’ “clearly inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour”.
Both Brand and Ross apologised for their actions later in 2008.
Brand went on to apologise to Georgina in person 11 years after the stunt, and paid for her rehab.
But she lost out on eight years with her grandfather as the pair stopped speaking.
His wife Melody Sachs said the calls put him under “terrific strain”.
Former burlesque performer Georgina made up with her grandfather before he died aged 86 in November 2016.
Writing in the Daily Mail in 2014, Sachs said: “For all my family, the unpleasant incident that hit the headlines in October 2008 was hugely distressing.
“Brand and Ross were like two teenagers on the rampage, laughing at their own jokes, which is not something the best comics usually do.
“Their lewd banter was deeply hurtful for me, my wife, our daughter and our granddaughter. It not only caused pain but huge stress to the family.”
The corporation was fined £150,000 by the regulator Ofcom over the lewd jokes.
And Ross was suspended without pay for 12 weeks, an experience he went on to describe as “fun”.
In a 2015 interview, Georgina claimed her grandparents had a lot to forgive her for.
She told the Daily Mirror: “I love and miss them so much. I admit I was a nightmare in my early 20s. I’ve tried to repair my relationship with my grandparents. They were understandably angry.”
In 2019 Brand, who lived in a £3.5million home in Henley, Oxon, with Laura Gallacher and their children, travelled to visit Georgina in Burton, Staffs.
While there he apologised, saying it was 100 per cent his fault and that he deeply regretted it all.
A source said at the time: “She did say after ‘what took him so long? All he ever had to do was call me.”
In a series of three voicemails left on Sachs’ phone, Brand and Ross made repeated graphic claims about Brand’s sex life with Georgina.
Later in the show Ross said if people were offended by the prank calls they were “crazy”.
A BBC spokesman said: “Russell Brand worked for a number of different organisations, of which the BBC was one. As is well known, Russell Brand left the BBC after a serious editorial breach in 2008 – as did the then-controller of Radio 2.
“The circumstances of the breach were reviewed in detail at the time. We hope that demonstrates that the BBC takes issues seriously and is prepared to act.
“Indeed, the BBC has, over successive years, evolved its approach to how it manages talent and how it deals with complaints or issues raised.
“We have clear expectations around conduct at work, these are set out in employment contracts, the BBC Values, the BBC Code of Conduct and the Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policy.
“We will always listen to people if they come forward with any concerns, on any issue related to any individual working at the BBC, past or present.”
Georgina is now a dancer performing with the group Satanic Sluts.
Five women have spoken out about Brand’s alleged behaviour.
One woman who came forward claimed he raped her against a wall at his home in Los Angeles.
She was treated at a rape crisis centre the same day, according to medical records seen by The Times.
She revealed alleged text messages between herself and Brand.
She wrote: “When a girl says no that means no.”
Brand allegedly responded to say he was “very sorry”.
Another woman, who said she worked with Brand, claimed he sexually assaulted her and then threatened to take legal action if she spoke out.
Another claimed he sexually assaulted her and was both emotionally and physically abusive.
A fourth alleged victim, who was 16-years-old at the time, said she took a BBC chauffeur-driven car from school to Brand’s house.
She claimed Brand, then 30, was abusive during their three-month relationship in 2006.
Jordan Martin, who previously wrote a book on the alleged abuse she endured in February 2007, claimed he was emotionally and sexually abusive.
During one incident he made her brush her teeth so hard her gums bled, she claimed.
Cops have been urged to launch a probe into the allegations against Brand, which range from 2006 to 2013 – when he was at the height of his fame.
Meanwhile, Brand’s pregnant wife is standing by him.
A pal of wife Laura, 36, who deleted her Instagram before the accusations came to light, has claimed she’s vowing to stick by his side.
The friend told MailOnline: “What Russell did was firmly in the past, way before he and Laura met.
“Of course it isn’t easy but they are determined to get through this.”
Brand started dating Laura, who he first met when she was 18, in 2015 and the couple married in 2017.
They have two daughters, and Laura is pregnant with their third child.
It comes as Brand’s former agent John Noel told the BBC: “I never had any complaints about him.”
Ahead of The Times publishing its expose, Brand denied all the allegations against him, slamming them as “aggressive attacks” and said his relationships were “always consensual”.