Brand, who was born in Essex, rose to fame as a stand-up comedian, performing at the Hackney Empire in 2000 and later the Edinburgh Fringe. He later moved into broadcasting, hosting national television and radio programmes. The turning point in his career came in the mid-2000s, when he hosted Big Brother's Big Mouth, a companion show to the hugely popular reality series Big Brother. It provided the springboard he was looking for and led to him becoming one of the most sought-after presenters in the UK. His career included hosting radio shows on the BBC, in particular for 6 Music and Radio 2, between 2006 and 2008.

Source: The Times April 04, 2025 18:45 UTC