Video taking off 25x its usual first day

Russell Brand 'lookalike' draws cameras outside rape trial

5 News' court-arrival Short drew an unusually large audience as the broadcaster also reported on the opening of the trial.

Channel:

5 News Story of October 15, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 129,412 views a day, 25 times a normal first day on this channel (5,133).

Russell Brand ‘lookalike’ arrives at his rape trial and nearly fools waiting media

The first man out was not Russell Brand. A gray-haired man wearing sunglasses stepped from a black van outside a London court, briefly drawing camera attention before Brand emerged from the same vehicle.

That sequence opens a 5 News Short that reached more than 110,000 views in its first 17 hours, far beyond the channel's usual first-day audience for Shorts. The broadcaster described the man as a "lookalike," but his identity and any connection to Brand were unclear. Nothing in the report establishes that the moment was arranged to distract the waiting media.

Brand then answered a reporter's question while walking toward the entrance. He described feeling blessed, concerned and hopeful that the proceedings would lead to good outcomes for everyone involved, before thanking the reporter for asking politely.

According to 5 News, Brand faces charges of rape, sexual assault and indecent assault involving six women, concerning allegations dating from 1999 to 2009. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The broadcaster also posted a separate, longer report on the trial's opening, covering the prosecution's outline of its case and a former friend taking the witness stand.

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