You can listen to yourselves to hear what was said. If you've never heard this show, then you need to bear in mind that this is the typical humour of Ross & Brand, that both are also allowed to curse on BBC radio & television, and also that Brand often leaves comic messages on celebrities voicemail.
Do you think the BBC went too far, or do you think it is right to suspend them?
Matt Smith Admin Age: 33 Gender: Female Posts: 31134
I think what they did was a joke too far, in my opinion. I fully understand that humour is relative, though, so I accept that people will disagree. What I particularly didn't like was the joke about Andrew Sachs killing himself due to their voicemail messages, which I thought was a horrible thing to say.
However, I'm inclined to say that suspending them is taking punishment a little too far. I think an apology would have been good enough, and perhaps a fine, but suspending them (and, as I understand it, all the shows they're on such as Buzzcocks tomorrow and Friday Night on...er, Friday have been 'postponed' too) is a bit too severe.
What I don't get, though, is how/why they're both allowed to swear on radio and TV, because I wasn't aware of that until reading your post. Is this something special to them and their shows, because what about the whole watershed thing?
NeoSteph Basket Case Age: 37 Gender: Female Posts: 16494
October 29th, 2008 at 07:04pm
I mean it does seem to be blown out of proportion but that doesn't condone how they both behaved which was just car crash radio. The fact that they didn't let it drop and numerous phone calls were made.
Plus imagine if you had a granddaughter or daughter and someone left a message like that on your phone it was incrediably bad taste. The thing that annoys me about this situation is as a regular listener of russell brands show he constantly makes fun of the women who he's slept with who go on to sell their stories to the paper and gets annoyed that they do. This girl didn't she was obviously young and single and did nothing wrong and they have nationally humiliated her.
I think short term suspension was the right way to go. The BBC is a unique vehicle in which if you are a british citizen and own a tv you have to pay a license fee that goes directly to the bbc even if you don't enjoy the programmes so it is shameful that the recording went out and although the blame for that lands on the producers shoulders it doesn't release brand and ross of their blame.
It was bad taste and a message had to be sent to both broadcasters to show that behaviour like that is not what the public deem payable entertainment.
also meg their show doesn't go out till after 9pm so after watershed.
Sherlock Board Parasite Age: 39 Gender: Female Posts: 35331
October 29th, 2008 at 08:11pm
Bloodraine:
What I don't get, though, is how/why they're both allowed to swear on radio and TV, because I wasn't aware of that until reading your post. Is this something special to them and their shows, because what about the whole watershed thing?
I wrote that so that any Americans who read/listened would not be so shocked by the language, as you aren't allowed to swear on US TV, but as is stated above, only after the watershed.
Whoa wait, this is the guy who had a thing for Dita? O_o
Emily-Cool Falling In Love With The Board Age: 34 Gender: Female Posts: 6657
October 30th, 2008 at 06:58am
Fawlty Towers actor Sachs, 78, said he had "respect" for Brand's decision.
^ He said sorry, soo they should just drop it now?
It was a really stupid thing to do, but everybody makes mistakes and prank calls, they were just having fun. The BBC are harping on about it way to much. They have learnt not to do it again.
They both wrote letters of apology as well as apologising to the public and I think it's been blown slightly out of proportion. Yes, it was immature and did cross the line, but at the same time it was just a prank phonecall. If people are going to get so worked up about this, why not at Scott Mills who pranks people all the time? Or Phonejacker even?
Sherlock Board Parasite Age: 39 Gender: Female Posts: 35331
October 30th, 2008 at 12:14pm
Kurtni:
Whoa wait, this is the guy who had a thing for Dita? O_o
Russell has a thing for everyone! XD He's a sex addict, hence why Jonathan said that in the first place.
Emily-Cool Falling In Love With The Board Age: 34 Gender: Female Posts: 6657
October 30th, 2008 at 12:15pm
Peardrops:
They both wrote letters of apology as well as apologising to the public and I think it's been blown slightly out of proportion. Yes, it was immature and did cross the line, but at the same time it was just a prank phonecall. If people are going to get so worked up about this, why not at Scott Mills who pranks people all the time? Or Phonejacker even?
I love fonejacker
But.. I spose.. that's his job to do that.. Ross and Brand did it in a different way.. you know?
cabot gal GSBitch Age: 33 Gender: Female Posts: 76863
October 30th, 2008 at 12:39pm
Am I the only one who found this funny?
I think it's all been blown way out of proportion by the media and now this has forced the BBC to take action. When I read about it in the newspaper (before I'd heard the show) I thought "woah, okay, too far this time", but when you actually listen to the show, understand that his granddaughter is of legal age, did actually sleep with Brand, then I can't understand what the problem is.
It's obviously done in a joking manner, and Andrew Sachs must know what his granddaughter gets up to seeing as she's in a dance group called the "satanic sluts"
Sherlock Board Parasite Age: 39 Gender: Female Posts: 35331
October 30th, 2008 at 01:35pm
Dude, I didn't know that he had actually slept with her!
cabot gal GSBitch Age: 33 Gender: Female Posts: 76863
October 30th, 2008 at 01:45pm
Yeah, she sold her story to the Sun.
Sherlock Board Parasite Age: 39 Gender: Female Posts: 35331
October 30th, 2008 at 01:46pm
Tsk. Tsk. Well then it was hardly an unprovoked comment.
Matt Smith Admin Age: 33 Gender: Female Posts: 31134
October 30th, 2008 at 01:49pm
NeoSteph:
also meg their show doesn't go out till after 9pm so after watershed.
Oh, I thought their shows were on in the daytime, for some reason. o_o
It makes sense to me now.
Sherlock Board Parasite Age: 39 Gender: Female Posts: 35331
October 30th, 2008 at 02:29pm
According to BBC news, the head of production for BBC Radio 2 has also resigned today, and Jonathan Ross has been suspended, without pay from broadcasting for the BBC for 12 weeks (until January 2009), until the full enquiry is carried out.
cabot gal GSBitch Age: 33 Gender: Female Posts: 76863
October 30th, 2008 at 02:37pm
This is just ridiculous now
paper shoes This Board Is My Home Age: 34 Gender: Female Posts: 34269
October 30th, 2008 at 02:40pm
um so he fucked his granddaughter, why is gramps all mad
idgi
lol at all these people complaining. if you don't like rude and immature shit don't listen to russell brand's radio show.
and it was a prerecorded radio show anyway so the bbc should have took the offending material out, just as they said they would. of course russell brand has done wrong but it should have been taken out if the producers thought it'd offend so much.
but yeah, well done daily mail.
Sherlock Board Parasite Age: 39 Gender: Female Posts: 35331
October 30th, 2008 at 03:21pm
I hate the bloody Daily Mail. And I don't get why Russell's being pulled into it so much when it was JR who said it.
