Jonathan Ross & Russell Brand suspended

Not a fan of Russell Brand, and quite like Jonathan Ross nowadays (not in the old days). But listening to these transcripts on youtube, they're hilarious!

The duo do try, having whipped themselves up, to apologise in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, having sent themselves down a path, they find it impossible to not make the situation worse, with funnier results.

Not sure who should be reprimanded for this. Obviously the terrible duo are at fault for doing it, but at the same time those in charge of letting the show go out are just as respnsible and in my view, I'm not convinced it was as bad as people are making out.

Just not sure how funny hearing about someone having S*****d you grand-daughter is when it is played on national radio - I'm sure it must be hysterical, but then again I've got as rubbish sense of humour.

I think the worst thing about it is that it's painfully unfunny. And the person who approved it for broadcast needs a rocket as well.

I actually quite like both of them, but I'd resent this intrusion into my privacy. And Baz, I agree it's not funny to have someone broadcast on national radio that he'd f*cked your granddaughter.

Incidentally does anyone know what time it was broadcast?

I thought it was funny and childish, but I don't think it should have been aired.

It's the plonkers in suits, who sat around a table at the beeb and decided it was suitable for broadcast, that should be sacked. It's hilarious following their frantic attempts to resolve this situation by suspending Ross and Brand two weeks after it was recorded.

Ross and Brand are probably friends with Sachs.

Brand did have it off with Georgina Baillie.

Here's the innocent girl who's no doubt devastated.

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Ah, of course thats it Andrew sachs has no sense of humour, and his Grand-daughter is no better than she ought to be and deserves everything she gets- now I understand.

Your presuming Baz, I've just stated points.

Sorry, must have been the unforunate choice of Photograph threw me - never worked for the Sun have you, they tend to add "unfortunate " piccy's to colour a story

Cheers

Barrie

Brand, Ross and the BBC Director responsible, should each make a serious public appology and each should voluntarally donate £10m (yes £10m) to charity(s) of the choice of Andrew Sachs and his Grand-daugther.

cheers

Don

So what? The girl is a burlesque dancer, I can see nothing wrong with that, it certainly doesn't make it right for a pair of foppish pillocks to harass and upset her grandfather. Reading a few of the interviewers she actually comes across as a normal and sensitive person.

I think the pair of them are lucky Andrew Sachs is a level headed and rather scrawny guy. I can't imagine what my grandfather would do in that situation, but they would have been lucky if he didn't put them in hospital!

Ross and Brand aren't even particularly funny, I for one will be very happy if Ross is fired and his obscene salary invested in new talent.

quote:

Originally posted by Don Atkinson:
Brand, Ross and the BBC Director responsible, should each make a serious public appology and each should voluntarally donate £10m (yes £10m) to charity(s) of the choice of Andrew Sachs and his Grand-daugther.

cheers

Don

And then be sent down the Michael Barrymoore route of no more work funded from my licence fee or by the very twitchy ITV advertisers.

Both of them are very un-funny by any standards and really should have their contracts terminated for gross misconduct, as any "normal" person would have done to them.

Jono

Whether you personally find them funny or you're jealous of their incomes is irrelevant. They give millions of license paying people great pleasure and to suspend/fire them because of a stupid mistake between acquaintances is wrong.

They are at the cutting edge of comedy, they are well known for pushing boundaries of entertainment and they should be controlled by the beeb.

Ross is tired now. And quite grotesquely overpaid. I cannot forgive the BBC from claiming that his 18 million quid contract is "market rate". There is no such thing as market rate, and he is not irreplaceable. This is taxpayers money being spent, not advertisers. Shame on them.

BBC has a long and shameful history of overpaying an elite few. Remember how it was reported that Angus Deayton was on 40k per episode, which was dropped to 20k as a punishment before he was fired? The use of a wide range of anchorpersons has clearly showed he was replaceable without damaging the program.

Discipline in the workplace is something that all 'normal' workers are bound by. The BBC executive(s) who allowed this may well get demoted or fired, which he/she/they will feel. But how do you effectively discipline very highly paid 'personalities' who are able to hold you to ransom because of being high scorers in the ratings war.

They clearly did something that stepped over the boundary of acceptable edginess into being completely inappropriate, and possibly against the law.

What do you do? Haul them in and tell them off? They'd wouldn't care, because they could just go over to the 'other side'. Fine them a day's/week's/month's pay? They'd wouldn't care, because they could just go over to the 'other side'. Suspend them, or even terminate their contracts? They'd wouldn't care, because they could just go over to the 'other side'.

The reality is that people with this sort of public clout can do pretty much anything and get away with it. They are, in effect, undisciplinable, by any usual measure. So when they do overstep the boundary, how do you effectively discipline them? IMO certainly not by saying, "it's not so bad, really" and that those on the receiving end should "get over it".

I think it goes somewhat beyond "a stupid mistake between acquaintances", it was broadcast on national radio. "At the cutting edge of comedy"? Abusing a septuagenarian, and later talking about breaking into his house and physically abusing him is cutting edge is it? It is probably actually criminal. The Beeb has measures to prevent this sort of thing happening which Brand and Ross willfully ignored, the Beeb isn't their babysitter. They are grown men who if they'd done their jobs properly, followed their employers guidelines and procedures, wouldn't be in this mess. Their production team must bear some responsibility for not stepping in, but ultimately Brand and Ross made their own decision to do this and should take the consequences.

Let them go to the other side. The reality is that they cannot be above the management. They are replaceable -- what happens if they go under a bus tomorrow? Of course they are replaceable -- the only people who think differently on this score are

a) their egos
b) their managment who have a financial interest

Suspension should only be a start. Their "prank" was a sustained vicious attack on a young woman and her elderly grandfather. Anyone who considers that to be even remotely funny is in my opinion, sick. There can be no excuse for these two or for the BBC staff who approved the broadcast. The fact that they are all paid from my licence fee just adds to my anger.
Those concerned should be fired and prosecuted.
Ken

BBC news - Brand gone still no proper apology from him though, well except the one saying it was "funny"

Personally even if he is cutting edge (cutting edge my a**e - oh I was a bit cutting edge there myself ) or not I hope he crawls under the stone from whence he came, and then obviously that it drops on him
Alls well that ends well

quote:

They are at the cutting edge of comedy, they are well known for pushing boundaries of entertainment

This is what you call Ross asking every other guest if they masturbate is it? Garbage.

quote:

Originally posted by JWM:

So when they do overstep the boundary, how do you effectively discipline them? IMO certainly not by saying, "it's not so bad, really" and that those on the receiving end should "get over it".

I think you sack them; save licence payers £21m over the next 3 years; and get the BBC to look to its Charter a bit more often. As for Brand and Ross, if they are so highly in demand, I am sure some commercial broadcaster will take them on - I mean commercial stations must have loads of spare cash in the current economic climate...

However it is interesting that this topic is a good litmus test as to whether you are an old fogey or a young whipper snapper. The youngsters ie those under say 35 to 40 are not fussed by this issue.

The fuss only stated when Radio 4 started to talk about it nearly a week after it was broadcast. Could be that Radio 4 listeners are the only group of listeners the Beeb has that are literate and able to communicate in a language that is not text speak. <g> And that some of the Radio 4 listeners have some influence or know how to make their views known.

Over and above the wrongs and rights of the affair...How come it was two complaints after the show... By this mornng 10,000, this afternoon 18,000 and now apparently 25,000?

Seems like people are complaining about what's being reported and the links to youtube as opposed to what they heard on the radio. I cannot believe 25,000 listened to Russell Brand and then thought "oooerrr, that's a bit over the mark"!

quote:

I cannot believe 25,000 listened to Russell Brand and then thought "oooerrr, that's a bit over the mark"!

25,000 people have become aware of what happened, and are effectively expressing their opinion.

Cheers

Don

quote:

They are at the cutting edge of comedy

Aren't comedians supposed to entertain you and make you laugh. These two were rubbish from the outset and have been going downhill ever since.

quote:

I think you sack them; save licence payers £21m over the next 3 years; and get the BBC to look to its Charter a bit more often.

That's what I'd like to see and an imposed ban on them ever being able to broadcast again. Wiping any recordings they have made would also be a good idea. Plus a massive fine equivalent to revenue the BBC would normally get from us - so we could have a year off paying.

Does anyone have any constructive comments about the latest UK's disaster, without referring to how much they earn(ed) or whether they like the witches or not?