Russell Brand has had his new book put on hold as his sex scandal deepens.

The 48-year-old comic – now facing claims from six women of offences ranging from rape and sexual abuse to emotional and physical abuse – was due to release his latest book with his long-term publisher in December.

But Bluebird, an imprint of UK book company Pan Macmillan, told The Wrap on Monday (18.09.23): “These are very serious allegations (against Brand) and in the light of them, Bluebird has taken the decision to pause all future publishing with Russell Brand.”

Brand has worked with Bluebird since 2017 when the company released his self-help book and memoir ‘Recovery: Freedom from our Addictions’.

His new tome, again about addiction, titled ‘Recovery: The Workbook’ was due to be published at the end of this year but is now on hold.

Former heroin addict Brand is also the subject of an internal investigation by Channel 4 after claims emerged at the weekend from staff on the ‘Big Brother’ spin-off shows he worked on in the 2000s.

Among their allegations is that they felt like they were acting as Brand’s “pimps” by selecting women from audiences to go to his hotel.

Channel 4 has asked the production company that produced the spin-off shows to conduct their own investigations and report their results back to the network. It added: “Channel 4 is also conducting its own internal investigation, and we would encourage anyone who is aware of such behaviour to contact us directly.”

Channel 4 added in there had been management changes since the reported incidents took place, and said it now has a “zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviour” and a “robust Code of Conduct”.

It said: “We require all suppliers to have in place rigorous safeguarding policies and provide whistleblowing support, including Channel 4’s ‘Speak Up’ facility.”

Brand has been dropped by his talent agency, Tavistock Wood, and it is not yet clear if his long-term publicist is still representing the comic.

He has also had upcoming shows on his ‘Bipolarisation’ tour cancelled by the promoter that were set to go ahead this week.

Four women accused Brand of rape, sexual assault and emotional and physical abuse between 2006 and 2013 as part of a joint investigation into the actor’s treatment of women by The Times and Sunday Times newspapers, as well as Channel 4’s ‘Dispatches’ programme.

A fifth accused him of abuse during their 2007 relationship in a memoir she published in 2014.

The Metropolitan Police said on Monday (18.09.23) they had received said a woman had contacted them on Sunday (17.09.23) saying she was sexually assaulted by the entertainer in Soho, central London, in 2003.

Brand denies all the accusations against him and has said any of his relationships have been “consensual”.