Well actually he hasn't, he got a 3 month suspension, but I wanted to put that thread title:tongue: Russell Brand and Radio 2 controller forced to quit, Ross taken off television and radio for three months... all because he made a joke. Storm in a teacup? Or a serious blow for freedom of speech? http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/oct/31/bbc-ross-brand-douglas-thompson Listen to what they actually said: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5sLRLhwnuGo
This story has been blown out of all proportion. Before The Sun ran it a week after the event, I think only two people who actually listened to the show complained. Where genuine offence has been caused, a simple apology would have been enough. I don't think heads needed to roll. Much worse crimes have been committed on the airwaves. It's good to see public figures held accountable for their actions, but perhaps it could be for genuinely harmful acts. Like starting illegal wars, not making prank phone calls....
I didnt give a rats arse until I heard how much that ponce earns...jeez, for sitting around with floppy hair and not pronouncing his r's properlyWhat does someone DO with that much money? The worlds crazy
I think it was the Mail on Sunday: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...e-air-phone-calls-Fawlty-Towers-actor-78.html A very obvious attempt to stir up the situation, Sachs had made no complaint so there was no possibility of legal action as the article suggested. What's frightening is how politicians got involved to put pressure on the BBC and how the BBC top management capitulated and over-reacted. They should have stuck by their producers' decisions rather than second-guessing them as a result of calculated tabloid media pressure.
I don't think any heads rolled at Endemol or Channel 4 over the Big Brother racism row, which also dragged politicians in. That was a much more serious incident and involved sustained abuse, which continued to be broadcast with, I think, one exception....
I just listened to Radio 4's "Feedback" programme which was dedicated to this one issue this week and it's astonishing just how strongly people feel about it. There's almost no debate about whether it was "acceptable" or not, it's seemingly almost universally regarded as being "way over the line". Personally I think it was absolutely fine, I can see no problem with what they did at all A joke, with a bit of swearing, directed at a public figure who had already agreed to an interview on the programme. Genuinely baffled about what was so bad about it...
Andrew Sach's not bothered and despite what his grandaughter's said in The Sun she is sctually loving the publicity so I haven't a clue why everyone's up in arms about it all. She's doing a documentary on it next week for 5 and ticket sales for The Satanic Sluts have never gone so fast! They're performing tonight in Camden apparently if anyones interested Come back Ross and Brand!!! People are just jealous they're so popular and well paid me thinks... off to listen to my podcasts, Saturday just won't be the same Incidentally, back in January, Russell Brand interviewed Chrissie Hynde and revealed that he had slept with her daughter Natalie, even going so far as to suggest a bit of mother/daughter action might be in order. Of course, no-one was offended, no-one complained, and the world stayed spinning on its axis. What a difference a few months make.
Love the way Carr deals with it all on his show 8 out of 10 cats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feH6KmLBZGM
Georgina Baillie: "I LIKE TO PARTY, I DON'T CARE IF YOU CALL ME A "WASTER" OR EVEN A "GROUPIE" BECAUSE I AM HAVING SO MUCH MORE FUN THAN YOU AND LIVING THIS WAY MAKES ME HAPPY" "We are SATANIC SLUTS EXTREME, four of the sexiest depraved London jezebels" I think she has driven her own reputation and honour in the direction she wanted it to go, nothing to do with Ross or Brand. her myspace page can be found here for anyone interested: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=28396567 The girl aint bothered in the slightest, she's being managed by Max Clifford now, she'll make a fortune out of all this. She was bragging on myspace a week back that she'd got a mention on Russells show, she was really excited! She only changed her mind when she say the £ signs a flashing in her eyes and saw the chance to sell her story. Andrew Sach didn't make a formal complaint therefore I don't see why anyone else should be offended. Andrew Sach's also didn't seem to be that bothered about his reputation and honour when he was getting the piss ripped out of him on Faulty Towers, which I might add was a borderline racist comedy. *apologies in advance for the link to the Daily Sport but meh it's funny* http://www.dailysport.co.uk/Home/Story.php?ID=713 Manuel abuse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSfyWbg0JV4 Interesting article from the Telegraph: "Fawlty Towers ruffled feathers, and not just in Germany. Compared with Dad's Army, with its slippers-and-cocoa style of humour, or other inoffensive, unfunny sitcoms of the time, such as On the Buses or It Ain't Half Hot Mum, it had a distinctly cruel streak. It invited people to laugh at things they had been taught not to laugh at. To the age-old elements of farce, there had been added a teaspoonful of vitriol. In 1975, when the sitcom first appeared, viewers were not used to Spanish waiters being used as punch-bags. They were not used to corpses in pyjamas being bundled into laundry baskets. They were not used to deaf old ladies being subjected to gratuitous rudeness." Full article here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/11/01/do0106.xml
What law are they supposed to have broken? I've heard "making abusive phonecalls", possibly "harassment", but if you listen to the messages they actually left (linked in first post)... where is the abuse? It couldn't be clearer that these are light-hearted piss-takes, I actually think they're being quite polite...
Support Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross by going to the NATIONAL DAILY MAIL BURNING DAY on the 5th November which is organised by the facebook group http://www.************/group.php?gid=42215213905&ref=mf, I'd highly suggest going to it whether you like Brand and Ross or not
I don't want to burn the Daily Mail. It's a waste of strong, absorbant, borderline-racist toilet paper. Tough on stains, tough on immigration....
muahahaha I agree, no case to answer, apart from Andrew Sach "breech of contract" for not showing up for his telephone interview?
Is it not a possibility that this is just a PR stunt? I can't understand why a producer would let that go on air for so long without pulling the plug. Janet Goldsmith is supposedly a fan of the 'Satanic Sluts'. Russell Brand was scheduled to tour in the states this month and has been talking about moving away from the BBC and working with channel 4 anyway...... Russell will be back in the US performing stand-up in November Tickets are available for the LA and San Francisco shows now. Tickets for the New York shows go on sale on the 24th October November 2nd Los Angeles, Largo 3rd Los Angeles, Largo 5th San Francisco, Cobs Comedy Club 6th San Francisco, Cobs Comedy Club 13th New York, El Museo Del Barrio 14th New York, El Museo Del Barrio
I don't think it's a PR stunt but, as Max Clifford said it won't damage Russells career at all, he thrives on controversy. It will however make Saturday night radio as dull as dishwater! :toetap05: Bring back Russell Brand! http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/bring-back-the-russell-brand-show-on-radio-2.html :cheers2: Oh, so he wouldn't have been here anyway? hmm interesting Sherlock
It wasn't live it was pre-recorded. I think when they decided to air it, they assumed it would be fine. And it was fine till the tabloids decided they saw Ross and Brand in the woods dancing with the devil....
