Russell Brand was today taken to task by a man claiming to be a bank-worker whose lunch went cold while he waited for the comedian to finish a “futile publicity stunt”.
In an open letter to Brand, the man claims the celebrity squared up to him after he complained about standing in the “freezing cold for half an hour on your whim”.
He accuses Brand of “manipulative media bull***t” and acting like a bully.
On Friday the comedian stormed the RBS London offices with a television crew.
Fearing a security alert, guards locked the doors, leaving some staff stuck in the cold.
In his letter, the blogger, called “Jo”, describes himself as the “lanky slouched guy with a lot less hair than you but... a slightly better beard”.
He goes on to claim that when he complained, Brand confronted him, bringing his face “two inches” close.
He says: “I’ve been thinking about this the last couple of days, Russell, and I can honestly say that the only other people ever to talk to me the way you did were school bullies.” The blogger asks Brand what he was trying to achieve: “Did you think a pack of traders might gallop through reception, laughing maniacally as they threw burning banknotes in the air, quaffing champagne, and brutally thrashing the ornamental paupers that they keep on diamante leashes — and you, Russell, would damningly catch them in the act? But that’s on Tuesdays.”
Jo then argues that if Brand had really wanted to speak to someone he might have got an appointment, and filmed an interview and a proper debate, saying: “Instead of doing something potentially educational, Russell, you staged a completely futile publicity stunt.”
Commenting on the RBS bail-out, which Brand was protesting about, he argues that taxpayer’s money spent on it will be repaid with interest.
And while he admits he gets an annual bonus, which can be clawed back if he breaks rules, he said it is much smaller than figures reported in the press.
He adds: “I’d need to work for several tens of thousands of years before my bonuses added up to close to what you’re worth.”
The comedian did not respond to a tweet on the issue this morning, and his publicist and management team were yet to provide a response at the time of going to print.
