Jury selection has begun as Russell Brand faces trial on rape and sexual assault charges.

The 51-year-old is accused of groping women and forcing them into sexual acts, in allegations spanning 10 years from 1999 to 2009.

On Monday morning at Southwark Crown Court, Brand was accompanied by his wife, Laura Gallacher, as he arrived for the start of the trial.

With Brand in the dock, Mr Justice Bennathan started the process of selecting jurors who will sit on the case.

A group of 50 prospective jurors were first asked if they had seen a Channel 4 documentary or read a newspaper article concerning allegations about Brand in 2023.

“We are about to start the trial of one Mr Russell Brand,” said the judge.

“Many of you will have heard of him.

“About three years ago, there was a TV programme and was a long article in the Times newspaper in which some allegations were made against him of sexual misconduct.

“They were allegations he firmly denied.

“The jury in this trial will hear something about that programme and the allegations in the programme and the newspaper article.

“But we, the lawyers and the judge, all agree if any of you remember as you stand here today watching the Channel 4 documentary or remember reading the article in the Times about three years ago, please put a hand up now.”

The judge then dismissed six members of the jury panel who identified that they remembered seeing the media coverage.

It is expected that the jury selection process will continue on Tuesday, ahead of the prosecution opening its case against Brand on Wednesday morning.

The jurors have also been told that the trial is expected to last around six weeks.

Brand arrived for court in a black Mercedes on Monday morning, waiting for a few minutes to leave the vehicle before taking Ms Gallacher by the hand.

He said nothing to members of the press as he walked into the courthouse, and did not respond to shouted questions.

Wearing a grey suit, a white unbuttoned shirt with a brown neckerchief underneath, brown boots and sunglasses, Brand remained seated and displayed little emotion as the jury selectin process began.

Brand denies three charges of rape, three counts of sexual assaults, and one allegation of indecent assault, made by six women.

Previous hearings have heard Brand is accused of raping a woman in a hotel room at the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth, grabbing a TV worker’s breasts and forcing her into a sex act in a toilet, and kissing and groping a radio station worker.

Essex-born Brand started out as a stand-up comedian and his showbiz career took off when he was picked to front Big Brother spin-off shows by Channel 4.

He became one of Britain’s best-known comedians in the 2000s and won presenting roles including the 2007 Brit Awards, Comic Relief and the MTV Music Video Awards, and hosted his own show on BBC Radio 2.

He made the move into Hollywood films with roles including an Arthur remake, comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall and 2012 musical comedy Rock Of Ages.

In recent years, he has pivoted to podcasting and online influencing, and now lives in Florida in the United States.

Brand, who pleaded not guilty to the charges during pre-trial hearings, is on bail.