Can we all gain some perspective, please?!!
Radio 2 boss quits over call row
I'm going to express what is possibly a contraversial opinion. I don't think that Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross should have been suspended over this situation over the phonecalls to Andrew Sachs. Nor do I think Brand should have had to resign, or the Radio Two boss.
Yes, they both made a very silly mistake phoning Andrew Sachs and leaving prank messages on his phone, but the calls were not "obscene" as the Daily Mail seems to suggest. And neither should the calls have been aired. However, when they were aired over a fortnight ago, there was a grand total of two complaints by listeners. Then, several weeks later, the highly dubious Daily Mail got hold of the story, along with several other self-appointed "Guardians of the Nation's Morals" such as Christian Voice and the frankly laughable MediaWatch UK. The ensuing press frenzy has now led to a whacking 3,000 (or is it 30,000?) complaints. But I wonder how many people have actually heard it?
Go on, actually listen to it before you start frothing and ranting and complaining about them.
Right, done it? Good.
Okay, so the pair of them did leave prank messages. But I've not heard any bits where Russell Brand "brags" about having shagged Mr. Sachs' granddaughter. Brand accidentally almost calls him "Manuel", Ross accuses him of a "lack of respect" in a jokey fashion. Brand, who had previously mentioned that he'd had a dalliance with Miss Baillie, insists that he has respect for Sachs "and his lineage", Ross claims Brand is making "insinuations" before blurting out "he fucked your granddaughter". Hysteria ensues, understandably. The two then make three attempts to phone back and apologise but, understandably, get rather giggly and end up making the situation worse.
And it was aired (which it shouldn't have been) and there were two complaints.
In the ensuing media frenzy, both Brand and Ross apologise. Brand apologises to Sachs personally on his own radio show, while also mentioning the hypocrisy of the Daily Mail and their right-wing sensibilities.
This is apparently not good enough. The frenzy continues. Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross send personal apologies to Andrew Sachs. Both of them are suspended by the BBC and Russell Brand resigns his contract with Radio Two in a diginified statement and accepts his wrongdoings.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7698417.stm
Andrew Sachs graciously accepts the apologies of both men and says that he does not wish to pursue this any further or to take revenge. "These are two performers, I'm a performer, sometimes it goes very wrong and it's up to them to do better. That's enough, isn't it?"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7696714.stm
But that's not enough for the media. We're now getting to watch Ms. Baillie airing her views all over delightful newspapers like the Sun, saying first of all that Brand and Ross have embarassed her and her grandfather, but then deciding to spill the beans all about her sex life with Russell Brand. She even sees fit to tell that Brand, apparently, on finding out that Sachs was her grandfather, "pranced around the bedroom yelling 'Que?' and 'I Know Nothing' - well-known phrases uttered by Spanish waiter Manuel during the iconic TV series". I'm sure Mr. Sachs really wants to know exactly what happened between the pair of them in the bedroom.
A sample Daily Mail article - Warning, contains racy photos!
The papers, of course, are all loving it as it simultaneously allows them to stick the boot into Brand, Ross and the BBC and adopt a "for God's sake, it's our money and won't someone think of the children!!!!" attitude while at the same time plastering racy photos of Ms. Baillie, a burlesque dancer with the group "Satanic Sluts" all over their pages. I don't doubt that, despite what she says about Brand ruining her relationship with her grandfather, she is loving all of this media attention. I also don't doubt that these constant revelations are only making things worse for him.
Sadly, of course, if the BBC react by also sacking Ross, it'll show them up to be a soft touch, that they'll cave in to anyone with an agenda who can shout the loudest. Brand and Ross have apologised to Andrews Sachs, the recipient of these messages, and Sachs has very graciously accepted and shown himself to be a true gentleman. I don't dispute that both of them should have had their wrists slapped, along with whoever cleared the clips for broadcast, but for Christ's sake, that really should have been the end of it.
And yes, I will admit that I found parts of the call funny. It was a prank in which there was no malicious intent. So calm the fuck down!
LATE RUNNING EDIT!: Ross suspended for three months. Well, that just puts the tin hat on it, doesn't it? I loathe the Daily Mail.
I'm going to express what is possibly a contraversial opinion. I don't think that Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross should have been suspended over this situation over the phonecalls to Andrew Sachs. Nor do I think Brand should have had to resign, or the Radio Two boss.
Yes, they both made a very silly mistake phoning Andrew Sachs and leaving prank messages on his phone, but the calls were not "obscene" as the Daily Mail seems to suggest. And neither should the calls have been aired. However, when they were aired over a fortnight ago, there was a grand total of two complaints by listeners. Then, several weeks later, the highly dubious Daily Mail got hold of the story, along with several other self-appointed "Guardians of the Nation's Morals" such as Christian Voice and the frankly laughable MediaWatch UK. The ensuing press frenzy has now led to a whacking 3,000 (or is it 30,000?) complaints. But I wonder how many people have actually heard it?
Go on, actually listen to it before you start frothing and ranting and complaining about them.
Click to viewRight, done it? Good.
Okay, so the pair of them did leave prank messages. But I've not heard any bits where Russell Brand "brags" about having shagged Mr. Sachs' granddaughter. Brand accidentally almost calls him "Manuel", Ross accuses him of a "lack of respect" in a jokey fashion. Brand, who had previously mentioned that he'd had a dalliance with Miss Baillie, insists that he has respect for Sachs "and his lineage", Ross claims Brand is making "insinuations" before blurting out "he fucked your granddaughter". Hysteria ensues, understandably. The two then make three attempts to phone back and apologise but, understandably, get rather giggly and end up making the situation worse.
And it was aired (which it shouldn't have been) and there were two complaints.
In the ensuing media frenzy, both Brand and Ross apologise. Brand apologises to Sachs personally on his own radio show, while also mentioning the hypocrisy of the Daily Mail and their right-wing sensibilities.
This is apparently not good enough. The frenzy continues. Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross send personal apologies to Andrew Sachs. Both of them are suspended by the BBC and Russell Brand resigns his contract with Radio Two in a diginified statement and accepts his wrongdoings.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7698417.stm
Andrew Sachs graciously accepts the apologies of both men and says that he does not wish to pursue this any further or to take revenge. "These are two performers, I'm a performer, sometimes it goes very wrong and it's up to them to do better. That's enough, isn't it?"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7696714.stm
But that's not enough for the media. We're now getting to watch Ms. Baillie airing her views all over delightful newspapers like the Sun, saying first of all that Brand and Ross have embarassed her and her grandfather, but then deciding to spill the beans all about her sex life with Russell Brand. She even sees fit to tell that Brand, apparently, on finding out that Sachs was her grandfather, "pranced around the bedroom yelling 'Que?' and 'I Know Nothing' - well-known phrases uttered by Spanish waiter Manuel during the iconic TV series". I'm sure Mr. Sachs really wants to know exactly what happened between the pair of them in the bedroom.
A sample Daily Mail article - Warning, contains racy photos!
The papers, of course, are all loving it as it simultaneously allows them to stick the boot into Brand, Ross and the BBC and adopt a "for God's sake, it's our money and won't someone think of the children!!!!" attitude while at the same time plastering racy photos of Ms. Baillie, a burlesque dancer with the group "Satanic Sluts" all over their pages. I don't doubt that, despite what she says about Brand ruining her relationship with her grandfather, she is loving all of this media attention. I also don't doubt that these constant revelations are only making things worse for him.
Sadly, of course, if the BBC react by also sacking Ross, it'll show them up to be a soft touch, that they'll cave in to anyone with an agenda who can shout the loudest. Brand and Ross have apologised to Andrews Sachs, the recipient of these messages, and Sachs has very graciously accepted and shown himself to be a true gentleman. I don't dispute that both of them should have had their wrists slapped, along with whoever cleared the clips for broadcast, but for Christ's sake, that really should have been the end of it.
And yes, I will admit that I found parts of the call funny. It was a prank in which there was no malicious intent. So calm the fuck down!
LATE RUNNING EDIT!: Ross suspended for three months. Well, that just puts the tin hat on it, doesn't it? I loathe the Daily Mail.