Brand, Ross and those prank calls

Salty25

You have to laugh (somewhat ironically) at the fuss that has been made about these pranks calls made by Russell Brand and Jonathon Ross to Andrew Sachs.

While it's true that the pair probably overstepped the mark, and the fact it was pre-recorded and therefore subject to screening, I think it is trully ridiculous that this is front page news. The bandwagon is rolling nicely.

The prank call is a pretty standard Brand routine, indeed his been warned about it before, and the Sachs calls were actually pretty lame compared to previous efforts.

Fantasy Leagues on Satellites.co.uk Premier League SupaLiga 2009/2010, click here ~ Current leader - Salty25! F1 SupaLiga '09, click here ~ CHAMPION - Norm! SupaLiga Archive

rolfw

I disagree, if lame is phoning a 78 year old grandfather and telling him in explicit detail about having sex with his grand daughter and thinking that makes good radio, then I really wouldn't want to listen to the prat's hard core pranks.

These guys are ridiculously well paid out of our licence fees, Ross in particular gets paid an obscene amount of money, I can take or leave Ross, but Brand I can leave altogether, just don't get him at all.

Time to say goodbye to these buffoons (with no pay off) and let them see if they can survive in commercial radio and TV with those sort of antics. Certainly as far as most standard employment contracts are concerned, gross misconduct is a dismissal offence, but you can bet that some young producer will be sacrificed to save their worthless skins.

Rolf If you enjoy our site, you can help support it by wearing our unique branded merchandise, you can do this by clicking on my baseball cap, making a direct donation with Paypal by clicking on the Donation button below, or using our site supporting advertisers, to do this, click on the central image below. Follow us on Twitter, click on the twitter image.

gandalfthegrey

Well said rolfw...just cant stand Brand..Ross can be funny at times..some of his best stuff for me was on they think it's all over.
gandalf

chris

The BBC is under unprecedented pressure after airing Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand making tasteless prank calls to Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs.

Brand and Ross left messages for Sachs joking about his granddaughter Georgina

The corporation has received more than 10,000 complaints after the broadcast, which has also prompted an official investigation from media watchdog Ofcom and drawn widespread condemnation from a range of figures including the Prime Minister.

The high-earning presenters left a series of crude messages on Sachs' answerphone during a pre-recorded radio show.

They included boasts from Brand about his sexual relationship with the star's granddaughter Georgina Baillie, 23, and jokes from the DJs that veteran actor Sachs might kill himself as a result of the revelation.

Gordon Brown has joined the furore over the on-air calls, saying: "This is clearly inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour, as is now widely recognised.

"Ofcom have said they will investigate the matter and it is for the BBC, the BBC Trust and Ofcom to take any appropriate action."

Other politicians from across the spectrum also waded into the row calling for BBC director-general Mark Thompson to act and the presenters to be sacked.

Ross, 47, issued a personal apology accompanied by flowers, with Brand, 33, following suit.

But outside his home yesterday, Brand shrugged off the row with just two words.

"Hare Krishna," was all he said when confronted by reporters in Hampstead, north London.

The BBC has also apologised and promised a full investigation.

Tim Davie, director of audio and music at the BBC, admitted the programme that went out on October 18 was "unacceptable".

In an interview with the BBC, he said: "We are going to have a full investigation, look at the factors and decide the appropriate action."

He said it was too early to say what exactly happened and to apportion blame at this stage would be wrong.

Asked if anyone would "take the rap" he said the key action was to produce a balanced report, adding: "It's too early to speculate what those decisions will be."

Culture Secretary Andy Burnham welcomed the BBC's investigation and apology "for what it now acknowledges was unacceptable".

He said the BBC Trust and Ofcom "will now have to look at how and why such a serious breach of broadcasting standards happened".

"I, and I think the public, expect these inquiries to be carried out thoroughly and as a matter of urgency," he said.

And Tory leader David Cameron said: "I think the BBC have got some very straightforward questions to answer.

"The main question is why did they allow this programme to be broadcast, given that it was pre-recorded?

"So we need to know who made the decision to broadcast it? How high up the editorial chain did it go? Who examined it? Why did they conclude that it should be broadcast?"

Source:SkyNews

ddeellboy

The BBC was set up to uphold standards of decency in broadcasting.
It has to act or cease to exist. If these two overpaid egotistical offensive morons are allowed to say what they like then there is no hope for us.
There are now only two options.
1. Pretend to deal with it by some kind of fine, temporary discipline or pathetic meaningless statement.
2. Fulfill their responsibility and uphold standards by getting rid of these sex addicts once and for all.
I am a grandfather with a picture of my grandaughter by the side of my bed.
On behalf of grandads and grandaughters all over the UK I appeal for some restoration of decency before there is nothing left to offend.

Peter jenkins

4dbennett

I,m a grandfather of a beautiful girl and in Andrew Sachs position i woul go to the police and have them investigated and would expect them to be sacked by the BBC along with the director and production people responsible for airing this crap!
on air ribaldry is fun until it involves particular individuals to public persecution,
Russel Brand and Johnathon Ross are the lowest of the low who without this gutter humour are not particularly noticable people,

Common respect for our fellow human beings must be paramount in our disciplines, this is sadly lacking in todays society

Dave

pgh13

Agreed.....if they behaved like that and had regular jobs they'd be out on their ear!

Salty25

Here are those calls in the radio show.

BRAND RESIGNS, Sachs accepts apologies - _http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7698417.stm

I just don't buy the scale of outrage, it's seems amazing considering what else is going on in the world. There's no doubt they went too far, but it's easy to forget that Sachs had agreed to be on their show and so must have known Brand's reputation - perhaps the granddaugther could have filled him in on some details.

It's also been rumoured that the granddaughter, Elisabeth Baillie, is fuelling the fire in order to gain publicity for her exotic dancing.

Fantasy Leagues on Satellites.co.uk Premier League SupaLiga 2009/2010, click here ~ Current leader - Salty25! F1 SupaLiga '09, click here ~ CHAMPION - Norm! SupaLiga Archive

haga

My opinion for what it's worth, Ross is grossly over paid for his tiny talent, he is a crap interviewer and always turns what ever subject someone is talking about round to himself, he's a big headed nobody and a chancer, £6m a year, yeah right.
Russell Brand is just a chancer, I've tried to like him but I'm sorry, he just aint funny.
However, the BBC is to blame, the show was pre recorded and someone should have cut the offending bit before it went out.
Initially only 2 people complained, the media got hold of it and now over 30,000 have complained. As has been said, is it really that news worthy, there are far more things going on in the world that need reporting other than two talentless pr*tts making fools of themselves.
Rant over
haga

rolfw

I agree, there is a lot more important stuff going on, but there isn't much the public can do about the situation in Iraq, or the global credit crunch, this however, is something where public and media opinion can actually influence the result.

Rolf If you enjoy our site, you can help support it by wearing our unique branded merchandise, you can do this by clicking on my baseball cap, making a direct donation with Paypal by clicking on the Donation button below, or using our site supporting advertisers, to do this, click on the central image below. Follow us on Twitter, click on the twitter image.

Llew

Fortitiously (or otherwise), Mr Woss has a new book out this week - Why Do I Say These Things?

Great timing, and more moolah to help his diminishing bank balance

_http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/non-fiction/article5046157.ece

Llew

Celebrating Ten Years Of The Forum As A Founder Member