Russell Brand allegations spark reckoning about the U.K.’s toxic ‘noughties’

The bounds of acceptability extended to “Harry Potter” star Emma Watson leaving her 18th birthday dinner to find paparazzi lying on the sidewalk to capture upskirt photographs. Singer Charlotte Church had her 16th birthday marked by influential radio DJ Chris Moyles offering on air to “lead her through the forest of sexuality.” And the nation’s top comedy show, “Little Britain,” was replete with blackface and jokes about LGBTQ people and people with disabilities. The show’s stars David Walliams and Matt Lucas have subsequently apologized. 

None of this appears to have harmed the careers of those involved. Today, Fielding presents the internationally beloved “Great British Baking Show.” Moyles has an eponymous program on Radio X. And Dyer was until recently a leading star in Britain’s iconic soap opera “EastEnders.” NBC News has contacted Fielding’s and Moyles’ agents for comment. Dyer wrote in his autobiography that he regretted his “tasteless joke,” saying he never thought the magazine would publish it.