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The Rest Is Entertainment

Bible Study With Russell Brand

27 Apr 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: Who is funding Russell Brand's Christian reinvention?

1.111 - 12.211 Marina Hyde

The rest of this entertainment is presented by Octopus Energy. Admin tends to require a little bit of encouragement, so submitting your meter reading now earns you a spin and the prospect of being quietly rewarded for it.

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12.672 - 19.103 Richard Osman

Yeah, you spin, you can win OctoPoints, which you can spend in the Shoptopus. The Shoptopus. I mean, fair play. Fair play.

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19.083 - 23.508 Marina Hyde

Well, whoever refuses a wheel and the opportunity to get something for nothing.

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23.568 - 41.43 Richard Osman

But it's actually one of the mainstays of game shows, wheels, because it has a randomness to it. And I've spent like weeks and weeks sitting just working on a wheel, just going, okay, that's an extra thousand. That would be 2000. And then you work out how many bad squares there are. By the way, there's no bad squares on the octopus one. But it's a mesmerizing thing. It's so addictive. I know.

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41.45 - 43.031 Richard Osman

Watching it. You want to keep doing it.

43.071 - 46.896 Marina Hyde

They slow it down slightly. And then when you watch the contestants like leaning in, like it's going to make a difference.

46.876 - 68.057 Richard Osman

difference and like lots of things with octopus energy they're very good at gamifying lots of the sort of just normal stuff that you have to do with your energy provider and getting a free spin and winning octopoints it's a very good example of that with octopus you submit your meter reading you get a spin and a chance at octopoints for money off your bill or to spend in the most aptly named shoptopus

71.227 - 75.495 Marina Hyde

Hello, and welcome to this episode of The Rest Is Entertainment with me, Marina Hyde.

75.515 - 81.246 Richard Osman

And me, Richard Osman. Hello, listeners. Hello, Marina. Hello, Richard. How are you? I'm all right. What lovely weather we've been having.

Chapter 2: What happened during Russell Brand's appearance on Piers Morgan's show?

241.512 - 246.9 Marina Hyde

electoral prophet in some way, as though he had some kind of swing vote.

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247.802 - 250.146 Richard Osman

He'd be on Newsnight, Ed Miliband would talk to him.

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250.166 - 263.166 Marina Hyde

Ed Miliband went to his flat in the 2015, during the 2015 election campaign to be interviewed. He had a sort of news show at the time that was called The Trues, a bit like the news, but not. Oh, that's clever. Yes.

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263.146 - 283.533 Marina Hyde

I remember one of the questions he said to me, sorry, this is a bit of a sidebar, but it was just so unbelievably moronic that I have to remind everyone what this electoral prophet was. He said, since suffrage, since the right to vote, I mean, what actually has meaningfully occurred? Oh, wow. Thereby forcing Ed Miliband, who at that stage, I mean, so many people thought was going to win.

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283.553 - 303.294 Marina Hyde

And for me, the steel was sealed. When you're having to explain the creation of, I don't know, the NHS, workers' rights, women's rights, gay rights, anyway. But he was sort of designated at that point the kind of community leader of people who were disinterested in politics, but might, with the right profit, be kind of pushed forward and vote.

303.714 - 306.197 Richard Osman

And I haven't followed the story. Was he the right profit?

306.65 - 330.954 Marina Hyde

I have to say, no, there was a constituency of people who didn't particularly vote and were not particularly interested in the cut and thrust of daily two-party politics. And a lot of those people did come out in 2016, the next year, and they did cast a vote in the Brexit referendum. So, no, he wasn't. He didn't make the blindest bit of difference whatsoever to that election result.

330.974 - 332.455 Richard Osman

I mean, to his bank balance.

332.435 - 354.528 Marina Hyde

To his bank balance, yes, I'm sure. And he developed a career of lots of live shows and various books. And there was a sort of move into self-help as well, I would say. Anyway, I think the keystone really of this book tour so far has been the appearance on Piers Morgan's YouTube show.

Chapter 3: How has Channel 5 become a powerhouse in British television?

404.39 - 407.553 Marina Hyde

And he keeps saying, oh, it's not that one. No, it's not.

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407.573 - 419.804 Richard Osman

No, no. Oh, but that's a good one. Yeah. Oh, in the gallery, they'll be, oh, I bet they're enjoying this. And Piers Morgan, Piers should have learned from this a very long time ago, just kept completely quiet for the entire two minutes.

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419.824 - 421.666 Marina Hyde

Yeah, it seems like personal growth is possible.

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421.686 - 432.135 Richard Osman

It was the best bit of TV Piers has ever done. But it was a very smart bit of presenting. So he was just sort of looking at the camera as Russell Brand is just, he's leafing through this.

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432.115 - 447.291 Marina Hyde

Okay, can I just say it's already meme of the year. Just call off the search. There's nothing... It is the most memeable thing that you can possibly have done. This clip is... I think it's absolutely extraordinary. What's interesting to me... I mean, there's so many things about it that are interesting to me.

447.832 - 457.903 Marina Hyde

But as... I don't know... I don't want to say an actor because, I mean, I've seen the films. But as a person who is a comedian, what the hell happened to his sense of...

457.883 - 475.783 Marina Hyde

of you think they I mean obviously one of the biggest things comedians know about is timing and whatever and to not be aware of what is happening and not to just simply say I can't find it now anyway the point is yeah how what's happened and to have something else on the top of your head that you say easy But what has happened there?

476.183 - 487.602 Marina Hyde

It seems to me the most complete sort of collapse of all the sensibilities that made you successful and charismatic in the first place. To not understand that it was genuinely like 90 seconds or something.

Chapter 4: What does the Met Gala sponsorship by Jeff Bezos signify?

487.763 - 491.569 Marina Hyde

It's so unbelievably painful and to not know how that would...

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491.549 - 502.908 Richard Osman

But again, he's from the world now where, you know, he's constantly making his own videos and constantly sort of making his own statements and lives in a world where, you know, the media is a very different thing than it used to be.

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502.948 - 509.659 Marina Hyde

So I guess he's just sort of... He's appearing on a show like that too as well, in fairness. So you'd think that, but it just, it's so off.

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509.639 - 530.048 Richard Osman

Well, the whole thing about being a comedian and being an intellectual and stuff, again, we will talk about this properly when we can, when whatever gloves we currently have on either stay on or come off, but we can have a proper chat. I would argue he was never really a comedian. I mean, there is a group of people who... I mean, I didn't like it. Who's really a TV presenter.

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530.189 - 530.449 Marina Hyde

Yes.

530.689 - 533.874 Richard Osman

Who... Yeah, but... But even... Yeah, that's timing.

534.234 - 554.462 Marina Hyde

To have just completely forgotten everything you ever knew. So it's interesting in terms of how... I know this podcast is slightly becoming the rest is shame listeners. In the old days, I do think that just that clip would be enough to do for you. But the point about all of this now is that if you decline... I mean, John Ronson, who wrote that book...

554.442 - 567.679 Marina Hyde

So you think you've been publicly shamed, which is such a good book and caught such a mood at the absolute, you know, maybe not the absolute apex of people cancelling people, but definitely in the kind of in the heyday of it all.

568.48 - 591.658 Marina Hyde

I'd love him to go back now and talk about what the lack of shame is doing to the culture, because the elimination in it of people have just decided not to care, not to be shamed. Russell Brand will simply decide not to. To be shamed by the absolute preposterous hilarity of that clip. And has already been posting lots more and will just carry on. And it will sort of be fine.

Chapter 5: What are the implications of Russell Brand's new book?

620.557 - 634.493 Richard Osman

All of this. Yeah, he has Tucker Carlson Press, which he says is to publish books that nobody else will publish. Listen, it feels like there's a lot of those around. But really, he means controversial books by people awaiting trial.

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634.633 - 653.215 Marina Hyde

Yeah, that genre. Skyhorse have done quite a few of those as well. Skyhorse are amazing. By the way, that's a sort of parent publishing. And Simon and Schuster, I think, distribute their stuff. So they're not one of those people that you have to do direct-to-consumer marketing. They do actually have a bit more of a presence and a bit more of a chance to get things out there.

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653.195 - 674.832 Richard Osman

They did the Biden crime family, which is the blueprint for their prosecution. That was written by Rudy Giuliani. He wrote that book. They wrote the Pfizer papers, Pfizer's Crimes Against Humanity. Both of those books, by the way, had forwards by the same person. Do you know who that might be? It's not Giles Branderith. Steve Bannon.

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Chapter 6: How does Russell Brand's journey reflect his past controversies?

675.233 - 679.202 Marina Hyde

Steve Bannon, I was going to say RFK. They've published one of his books.

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679.222 - 686.678 Richard Osman

Oh, yeah. And do you know who the forward of RFK's book was written by? Who? Steve Bannon. There's like 10 books that Steve Bannon has done the forward for. Stephen K. Bannon.

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686.793 - 690.44 Marina Hyde

Is there an official forwarder job? Just I do forwards.

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690.701 - 708.854 Richard Osman

I guess so. Yeah. I don't know if it's the same forward. But to be fair to Sky Horse's world, it's not all that. They also do the unofficial joke book for fans of Harry Potter. There's four of those. Wow. Can I give you the subtitle to that? There's written a talk about sitting around a table with lawyers. The unofficial joke book for fans of Harry Potter.

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709.314 - 722.207 Richard Osman

On the cover it says, this book is not authorised or sponsored by Bloomsbury Publishing, Scholastic Limited, Warner Brothers, JK Rowling or any other person or entity owning or controlling rights in the Harry Potter name, trademark or copyrights. All on the front cover.

722.728 - 726.111 Marina Hyde

Now you've only got to do another 36,960 words.

727.252 - 734.152 Richard Osman

They also do the large print Bible word search, which actually... That sounds like quite a good book.

734.372 - 755.138 Marina Hyde

They did Woody Allen's memoir, Melania's memoir, RFK's attack on Anthony Fauci, remember their chief medical officer. So it's a vibe. They've done so many books on the JFK assassination, including one, which I love, written by Jesse Ventura. Do you remember Jesse Ventura, the former wrestler, who actually became, I think, was he governor of Minnesota?

755.158 - 758.802 Marina Hyde

I think he might have become governor of Minnesota. He suddenly ran as governor of Minnesota.

Chapter 7: What changes have occurred in the fashion industry regarding the Met Gala?

807.592 - 811.377 Marina Hyde

I mean, it's always the bit you're not expecting, I have to say, in my experience of legal actions.

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811.397 - 813.78 Richard Osman

Anyway...

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814.807 - 826.405 Marina Hyde

Russell Brand's book. Yes. It is described by Tucker Carlson Publishing as a testimony and guide to a timeless yet zeitgeist capturing grounded yet psychedelic encounter with Christ.

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826.465 - 827.086 Richard Osman

Go through that again.

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827.827 - 845.736 Marina Hyde

Well, I can't because there's so much more of this synopsis and I think you're going to love it. Oh, amazing. As much as the world is in cultural and political collapse, unless you've been living in a billionaire bunker on Epstein Island, you know we are an extraordinary revival. With his customary, almost shocking frankness, Brand describes his apostasy from demonic Hollywood.

846.257 - 849.943 Marina Hyde

By the way, I think Hollywood may be cut ties with him, but...

849.923 - 852.427 Richard Osman

His apostasy from demonic Hollywood.

852.888 - 876.445 Marina Hyde

And radical conversion to Christianity against a backdrop of false allegations, his son's heart surgery, and truly jaw-dropping spiritual warfare. If you are beginning to awaken to the profound changes that are sweeping our planet and want an eyewitness account from the front line, okay, described in gentle yet visceral prose, not possible, read this book now. So that worked.

876.505 - 881.576 Marina Hyde

I mean, he always did kind of for Russell Brand, like he followed a dictionary and the pages had got in a muddle. It wasn't sitting well.

Chapter 8: How has the role of Anna Wintour evolved with the influence of tech companies?

1015.569 - 1016.35 Richard Osman

But it must be.

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1016.611 - 1022.881 Marina Hyde

I don't think the Pope should talk about, be very careful when he's talking about theology. And yeah, rewriting the Bible.

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1022.942 - 1037.669 Richard Osman

It must be very, very hard to be a Christian at the moment, to be an actual Christian at the moment, to be guided through your life by your faith. Yeah. Because, of course, what you want is as many people converting as possible. And, of course, what you want is high profile people converting.

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1038.33 - 1049.372 Richard Osman

I don't know whether when they look around and see some of the people who talk about Christianity at the moment, whether they consider them to be true believers or whether they think they're using their faith. It must be a very conflicting time.

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1049.352 - 1067.416 Marina Hyde

There always used to be that line, and I don't know whose it is, but it's such a good one. They used to say, the American Christian right, who tend to be neither. I always thought that was such a good way of putting it. But anyway, Russell Brand has, to some extent, he's gone to live in America and he's sort of joined, he's appeared at the conservative conferences.

1067.776 - 1092.927 Marina Hyde

He's got a live stream thing that he does. Now, his appearance on Megyn Kelly, another Fox News host, who's sort of carved out on her own and has got her own sort of podcast empire on his Megyn Kelly appearance he said that he had had sex with a 16 year old when he was 30 and he called it exploitative he said he was an exploiter of women his behaviour was awful but lawful

1092.907 - 1111.274 Marina Hyde

Again, that's about as much as we can say on that with a court case pending. But I suppose we should look at where his money comes from. He's got lots of future plans. If the court case goes his way in October, he says he's going to run for London mayor. But he has sold lots of books in the past.

1111.354 - 1112.856 Richard Osman

My bookie work was a big seller.

1112.836 - 1119.029 Marina Hyde

Yeah, he had to pay Pam at Millenbach, didn't he, for two books, self-help books, as I understand it.

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