Fame Under Fire: Russell Brand on Trial

We answer your pressing questions on the biggest legal cases of the moment.

First up, the Blake Lively v Justin Baldoni case in New York. How did dragons, Game of Thrones and Taylor Swift get dragged into all of this? And how might it impact Taylor?

Next, your questions on the case France’s first family, the Macrons, have brought against American online commentator and provocateur Candace Owens.

Resident Fame Under Fire attorney Shaun Kent joins Anoushka to discuss nerdiness, mean girls and how to dress for court.

Host: Anoushka Mutanda Dougherty

As Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni head to court together for mediation behind closed doors, we look at how this process works.

Resident Fame Under Fire attorney Shaun Kent walks us through the latest legal steps.

Host: Anoushka Mutanda Dougherty

Social media has been rife with speculation about what is in the Epstein Files with stories of cannibalism, designer babies, and references to torture. But what is actually true? What more do we know? The episode answers the questions listeners most want answers to.

And we hear about the latest legal developments from US lawyer Arick Fudali, who represents 11 survivors of Jeffery Epstein. What does justice now look like for them?

Host: Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty

Reputations supposedly take years to build and seconds to destroy. But what if that's no longer the case?

What if the normal rules about earning - and keeping - a reputation simply don't apply any more.

This week, David Yelland is joined by Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty, from the BBC podcast Fame Under Fire. Together, they venture into some distinctly dubious corners of the internet to see how public opinion is really being shaped.

Examining the trial of rapper Diddy, they explain how he may have actually benefitted from the wild accusations being made about him on social media before the case came to court - and how his PR team realised they could capitalise on the fact he was being portrayed as the Devil.

On the extended edition on BBC Sounds, David and Anoushka look at how the PR world might want to take some tips from Candace Owens - however unpalatable that may seem.

The right-wing influencer promotes conspiracy theories and has repeatedly made claims about Brigitte Macron being born a male. The Macrons have filed a defamation lawsuit against her.

But Candace Owens has millions of followers and arguably influences more people than many newspapers, news channels or politicians. It's why Anoushka describes her as a 'personal PR powerhouse' - and explains that whatever you think of her, the way she spreads her message should be closely examined - and followed.

Producer: Duncan Middleton

The latest release from the Epstein files has once again thrown the spotlight on numerous famous names such as Bill Gates, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and President Trump. But within the millions of documents, other famous names have appeared, so what does it actually mean if your name is connected to the files? One of those mentioned is rapper Jay-Z, included after an FBI tip off many years ago. It’s provoked a big social media interest but is this really a significant development?

And in a series of shocking social media posts, rapper Nicki Minaj has made some wild allegations about child abuse involving Jay-Z. In the past Jay-Z has always strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Fame Under Fire gets the legal lowdown from resident trial attorney Shaun Kent and separates the fact from the fiction.

Host: Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty

Hollywood film-maker Tyler Perry is facing a second sexual assault lawsuit by an actor employed on one of his productions. Actor Mario Rodriquez claims Perry carried out a series of unwanted sexual advances, some of which happened in Perry’s Los Angeles home. The claims follow an existing sexual assault claim by another actor called Derek Dixon. He was also employed by Perry and is suing for $260 million in damages. Both claims have been filed by the same lawyer.

Liam Neeson appears as the narrator of a controversial film promoted as an investigation into pharmaceutical wrongdoing and Covid-era decision-making. The narration includes claims about Covid lockdowns and vaccines described as “dangerous experiments”, raising the question of what it means when a beloved movie star becomes associated, even indirectly, with polarising health narratives.

Host Amber Haque discusses reputational risk with Crisis PR Manager Molly McPherson and BBC Journalist Madeline Halpert.

Got questions? Send us a Whatsapp message on 0330 678 111 4.

Subscribe to Fame Under Fire on BBC Sounds and turn on push notifications so you never miss an episode. We’ll let you know as soon as new episodes are available.

Host: Amber Haque

Series Producer: Louise Clarke

Senior Impact Producer: Daniel Raza

Production Coordinator: Hattie Valentine

Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford

Editor: Clare Fordham

Assistant Commissioning Producer: Rechmial Miller

Commissioning Producer: Adam Eland

Assistant Commissioner: Will Drysdale

Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts

A very public and very personal fallout places the Beckham family under renewed attention after Brooklyn Peltz Beckham publishes a series of Instagram statements to his millions of followers. He alleges that family relationships have been shaped by what he calls Brand Beckham, including claims about public promotion, social media expectations and long-standing tensions surrounding his marriage to Nicola Peltz.

The Beckhams have yet to respond.

Got questions? Send us a Whatsapp message on 0330 678 111 4.

Subscribe to Fame Under Fire on BBC Sounds and turn on push notifications so you never miss an episode. We’ll let you know as soon as new episodes are available.

Host: Amber Haque

Will Smith is accused of predatory behaviour by a violinist, Brian King Joseph, who played on Smith's 2024/25 tour to promote his latest album, "Based on a True Story."

Smith's lawyers say the allegations are "false, baseless and reckless."

King says that he and Smith had become close friends with the star once confiding in him that: "You and I have such a special connection that I don't have with anyone else." The violinist, who came to public attention on the "America's Got Talent" show, also alleges that Smith groomed him for sex. He's also claiming damages from Smith and his company for wrongful dismissal.

So what happens next? Fame Under Fire's own in-house lawyer, Shaun Kent guides us through the key legal issues at play.

Host: Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty

A writer convicted of cyber-bullying the French president’s wife has told the Fame under Fire podcast he doesn’t regret it.

Bertrand Scholler posted an edited photo of Brigitte Macron in a swimming costume. Her head had been cut out and a man’s torso edited in.

He was one of 10 defendants in France accused of spreading false claims about Mrs Macron’s gender and sexuality as well as making “malicious remarks” about the 24 year age gap between her and her husband.

They were found guilty at a Paris court. Scholler was handed a suspended sentence of six months.

Speaking after his conviction, he said he was in “shock”, adding that the law which led to his conviction was a “nuclear bomb for freedom of speech”.

We also hear from the BBC’s Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield about the court case and what’s next for the Macrons.

Got questions? Send us a Whatsapp message on 0330 678 111 4.

Subscribe to Fame Under Fire on BBC Sounds and turn on push notifications so you never miss an episode. We’ll let you know as soon as new episodes are available.

Host: Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty