Actor and comedian Russell Brand has said “blessed, thank you very much” as he arrived at a London court for the second day of his rape and sexual assault trial.
The 51-year-old is accused of groping women and forcing them into sexual acts, in allegations spanning 10 years from 1999 to 2009.

Jury selection began at Southwark Crown Court on Monday with a warning from Justice Joel Bennathan to ignore past reporting about Brand and allegations of sexual misconduct.

On Tuesday the jury is due to be finalised, while the prosecution is expected to open its case on Wednesday morning.

As he arrived at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday morning, Brand said “Blessed, thank you very much” in the direction of the waiting media.

His wife Laura Gallacher, who was by his side for Monday’s hearing, did not accompany Brand outside court on Tuesday morning.

On Monday the judge started with 50 prospective jurors, before swiftly excusing six who said they had either seen a Channel 4 documentary or read a newspaper article in 2023 concerning allegations about Brand.

Twenty possible jurors were selected and sent away for the night to check that they were free to sit on a trial that is expected to last six weeks.

Brand denies three charges of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault, made by six women.

At previous hearings, it was said Brand is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, grabbing a TV worker’s breasts and forcing her into a sex act in a toilet, and kissing and groping a radio station worker.

Essex-born Brand started out as a stand-up comedian and his showbiz career took off when he was picked to front Big Brother spin-off shows by Channel 4.

He became one of Britain’s best-known comedians in the 2000s and presented the 2007 Brit Awards, Comic Relief and the MTV Music Video Awards and hosted his own show on BBC Radio 2.

He made the move into Hollywood films with roles including an Arthur remake, comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall and 2012 musical comedy Rock of Ages.

In recent years, he has pivoted to podcasting and online influencing, and now lives in Florida in the United States.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028