As sexual allegations mount against British star Russell Brand, details have emerged about controversial “jokes” that apparently ended his time as a mainstream TV personality.

They came from a 2018 show on Britain’s Comedy Central, called Roast Battle, that involved comedians poking fun at each other.

“A show which turns smack talk into an art form,” the show boasts on its social media.

“No topic is off limits.”

Brand never made it past the first season after reportedly being the target of repeated on-air jokes and accusations about an unnamed “sexual predator” by fellow judge Katherine Ryan.

The barbs were edited out before the show want to air. But, according to reports in Deadline on Tuesday (AEST), “multiple sources”said Ryan was referring to Brand.

“I – in front of loads of people, in the format of the show – said to this person’s face that they are a predator,” Ryan revealed in her 2022 appearance on Louis Theroux Interviews.

Ryan told Theroux that she did not name the person because it was a “litigious minefield”, and she had not personally been assaulted by Brand.

Deadline reports that Brand was “furious” about Ryan’s jokes, which allegedly spurred other comedians to pounce on rumours that had swirled for years. He virtually vanished from British TV shows after Roast Battle, barring a lone appearance on The Great Celebrity Bake Off.

Industry insiders said the company behind Roast Battle, Fulwell 73 grew uncomfortable with the Brand rumours swirling – and his reluctance to be roasted gave the company an opportunity to drop him.

“Contract negotiations were made as tricky as possible, is the best way to put it,” a source told Deadline.

“In the end, it came down to the fact that it seemed like Russell didn’t have a good sense of humour. He didn’t feel he was fair game.”

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Ryan’s revelations came as London police said they had received an allegation of a sexual assault dating back 20 years following media reports about Brand.

There was no immediate comment from Brand’s representatives following the police statement.

Brand, 48, has denied allegations made in the Sunday Times newspaper and on Channel 4 TV’s documentary show Dispatches, which reported that four women had accused him of sexual assaults, including a rape, between 2006 and 2013.

Police said since those allegations were published and broadcast they had received a report of an assault alleged to have taken place in Soho, central London, in 2003.

“Officers are in contact with the woman and will be providing her with support,” the Metropolitan Police statement said.

“We first spoke with The Sunday Times on Saturday, 16 September and have since made further approaches to The Sunday Times and Channel 4 to ensure that anyone who believes they have been the victim of a sexual offence is aware of how to report this to the police.”

Brand, the former husband of US singer Katy Perry, issued a video message on social media to deny the “very serious criminal allegations” hours before they were published on Saturday.

“These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies. And as I’ve written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous,” Brand said.

“Now, during that time of promiscuity, the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual,” added the comedian, known for his flamboyant style and appearance who has starred in a number of films such as Get Him to the Greek.

The Times and Dispatches said one woman had made an allegation of rape while another said Brand assaulted her when she was 16 and still at school.

Two of the accusers had reported the incidents occurred in Los Angeles.

Brand, who was once one of Britain’s most high-profile comedians and broadcasters, was in the middle of a stand-up tour when this week’s allegations emerged.

He was due to perform at the Theatre Royal Windsor on Tuesday (local time) but this has now been cancelled.

“We are postponing these few remaining addiction charity fundraiser shows, we don’t like doing it – but we know you’ll understand,” a statement from his tour promoters, shared by the theatre, said.

The BBC says it is urgently looking into issues raised by the allegations and Banijay UK, the production company behind a show Brand once hosted, says it has also launched an urgent internal investigation.

-with agencies