Ross and Brand suspended by the BBC
I think the BBC have got this one wrong. If it was such a bad thing, why didn't they suspend both guys when the original two complaints came in?

I'm not defending what was said because, even though I CAN see the humours in it, it's still in poor taste. i just think that the BBC have done this more as a token gesture to get themselves out me the bad press.

Brand is well known for talking about his love life. Ross is quite happy to talk aboutu his willy on tv. Why did they think they'd get anything blame on the radio.

Also, as an aside, isn't a suspension in there cases a little like a said holiday? Assuming that the BBC won't want to lose Ross, and therefore have to side with both presenters...
( SeasonTicketless is too often the statue, and rarely the pigeon., Wed 29 Oct 2008, 13:21, 23 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

i'm really worried
will friday night with jonathon ross be on this week?
(The Ear-Trumpet Addicting is NOT a word., Wed 29 Oct 2008, 13:23, Reply)

FNwJR
won't be on :(

Broadcasters have been pushing the boundaries and misbehaving for years. Outrageous stuff years ago seems so tame now.

Still, it gave the grand-daughter a chance to pout and look miffed in the Venerable Sun. And get paid for it. Max Clifford'll have her presenting on some TV show before Christmas.
( thealternativefact, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 13:38, Reply)

What's that you say?
All this is a fuss over nothing?

I suppose you're going to tell me that Diana's dead, too?
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 13:50, Reply)

I don't see the humour
in shouting 'he fucked your granddaughter' in to an old man's answerphone. Or assuring him that you used a condom. Or saying how you bent her over the sofa.

The initial idea of interviewing his answering machine seems reasonable. But everything that came after that is just two massive egos behaving like children.

And I like Jonathan Ross, I just want to know what they were thinking.

As far as the suspension goes, as pointless as it is the BBC couldn't be seen to be doing nothing, especially given the amount of shit they've been in recently. I reckon at the end of it all, Brand will be let go while Ross will get some kind of hiatus - the BBC has too much invested in him to sack him.

In the meantime, let's have a Stephen Fry talk show!

EDIT: Enzyme! I never knew! *dashes to St. James' Palace to outpour grief*
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 13:53, Reply)

@DiT
I want to see Brand sacked. Not for this. Just because he's a cunt.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 13:55, Reply)

To be fair,
I don't think Brand'll care too much, he's got a new show starting on channel 4.

Also, what is with people with the surname "Brand" being massively un-funny?
( Cawl, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 13:59, Reply)

The thing that confuses me..
Is why the show was allowed to be broadcast, considering it was pre-recorded.

Surely someone must have said "Erm...I don't think this will go down too well?"

And yes, I agree, Russell Brand is a cunt.
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:01, Reply)

Why don't we have
Friday night with Stephan Fry instead. That'd be much more awesome.
( Captain V, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:04, Reply)

^^
And actually funny?
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:06, Reply)

I'm going to back the idea of Friday Night with Stephen Fry
Let's face it, Friday Night with Woss is only good when he's got interesting guests* - when it's an evening of pompous filmstars and third-rate singers I don't even bother tuning in. Some of you may baulk at the idea, but I thought Jim Carrey was one of the most entertaining guests on that show, just because he decided to be as daft as a brush and play up, rather than sitting on the sofa talking self-indulgently about his career.

But then I don't know who you'd get to appear on a show with Stephen Fry.

_{*Much like Room 101, in fact. On which Stephen Fry was by far and away one of the best guests...}
(LongJohnBaldry, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:09, Reply)

there is only one problem
with them being suspended.

The Daily Mail are going to be churning out pages and pages of smug self congratulationary bullshit and editorials about being the moral guardians of the United Kingdom, and the last thing we need at the moment is that fucking paper being right.
(Halfy By light alone, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:10, Reply)

*signs petition*
I don't think Stephen Fry would do it, though.

How about a guest presenter every week?

Friday Night with Stephen Fry?
Friday Night with Brian Blessed?
Friday Night with Rik Mayall?
Friday Night with Jennifer Saunders?
Friday Night with Bill Bailey?

Thank you, the BBC. The consultation fee should be couriered over to me now.
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:10, Reply)

^ Yes.
Maybe even Friday Night with Charlie Brooker, or Marcus Brigstocke - or, indeed, anyone bold and angry enough to get half these vacuous celebrities on there and make them justify their existence, whilst pointing out in increasingly witty ways what a waste of space they really are.

EDIT: @Halfy - this is true. We face a horrible decision here. We either have to deny ourselves the opportunity to be nasty to Russell Brand, or side with the Mail. Who can help us now?
(LongJohnBaldry, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:12, Reply)

Friday night
with Jerry Sadowitz.

Now THAT would set whole new boundaries in offensive broadcasting
(Halfy By light alone, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:14, Reply)

Hmmm
Friday Night With Ross Noble?
Friday Night With Jason Rouse?
Friday Night With Bill Hicks (via Derek Acorah)?
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:17, Reply)

hahaha
friday night with Goatboy!
(Halfy By light alone, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:18, Reply)

@halfy
One possible answer would be to not read the Mail? I find that sticking my fingers in my ears and loudly declaring "LA LA LA LA LAAAAAAA..." whenever the Mail is mentioned is the method that works best for me :)
( SeasonTicketless is too often the statue, and rarely the pigeon., Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:19, Reply)

Friday Night with Rob Manuel?

( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:20, Reply)

hehehe
Friday Night with Goatse?
( SeasonTicketless is too often the statue, and rarely the pigeon., Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:20, Reply)

@SeasonTicketless
Hehe, I can just see some posh tool tuning in, and saying "Hmm..that chap looks surprised!"
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:29, Reply)

I listened to the podcast before the uproar

Some bits were funny, so less so. The interview with Dennis Norden was pretty dull, the one with that actor that played Che Guevara was funny.

Mrs G and I are fans of Wossy's Saturday morning R2 show. Often has reasonable guests, funny chat and stories, decent music, bonkers quiz etc. without the bad language. In fact, it's often a softer version of his Friday night show, where he tends to show off and swear for the sake of it. It got a bit smutty a couple of times when Ricky Gervais was his guest - they tend to egg each other on - just what happened with Brand the other week. I'm not a huge fan of Brand, tends to mention his willy every other sentence and thinks he's cleverer than he actually is. In this case, it was Ross that was largely to blame - again, egging Brand on like the stir-up kid in the playground that gets his kicks by daring others to lift up girls' skirts, then running away before teacher arrives.

You know who's to blame? Andrew Sachs - he should have been in to answer his phone when it was arranged. Dennis Norden managed to answer his phone OK. Having said that, if he'd rang my 75-yr old Dad to tell him he'd fucked my daughter, I'd have gone round to the Beeb myself and kicked them both in the knackers.

Conclusion? Use this furore to re-negotiate both their contracts to be more in line with what the license-paying public will bear. And tell them to grow up.
(Che Grimsdale Best before:, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:32, Reply)

As always, Che
The voice of reason.

Thinking about it rationally... Should Andrew Sachs really be suprised that his granddaughter has had carnal knowledge of Russel Brand? I mean, she is in a dance group called the Satanic Sluts...

I'm not in any way suggesting that she is deserving of having her name dragged through the mud because of that, by the way. I am just suggesting that maybe Mr. Sachs did have a slight inkling that his granddaughter may not have been completely pure.

Still doesn't excuse the behaviour of messrs. Brand and Ross, either.

(Che also raises the point I hadn't considered - no more R2 on a Saturday morning for me, now!)
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:43, Reply)

my Ha'penth worth
I’m a bit torn by this, as I actually like both Ross and Brand, (Brand’s technique and skill as a stand up is of an unbelievable quality, even if his material doesn’t always match his ability).

What pisses me off is that the BBC took so long to do anything. They’ve caved to the howling press and the herd of people who complained based just on what they had read (which, admittedly, didn’t seem very funny in writing).
Now, I’m not saying they should have gone and dug out the podcast and listened to it, cos I can understand why they wouldn’t want to boost its audience. But that leaves them talking about something about which they know nothing.

So, you know what they should have done? Shut the fuck up as they didn’t have the full picture.

No one comes out of this well in the end, not even Sachs & co. (Isn’t that a shop?).

The BBC shouldn’t have let a pre-recorded segment air if they weren’t happy with it. Once they had, they should have either acted immediately or stood by their presenters. This is a half assed cave in.

Ross & Brand come across as puerile (no surprises there, really) and childish but ultimately, potentially offensive but harmless idiots.

Sachs has been nothing but a bag of mixed messages – ‘I want them sacked’ ‘I accept their apology’ and having Clifford involved just tells you that him or his granddaughter (or both) are loving this excuse to extend their careers/raise their profile.

And, Gordon Fucking Brown, what the fuck he is weighing in for is beyond me, don’t you think he might, just might, have more important things to do with his time at the moment, like, I don’t know…THE COLLAPSE OF THE CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM?

And I can’t believe I wasted that much time on this. It’s a non event that’s been blown up into something far beyond any of it merits.

Fuck ‘em all.
( scarpe We Stole Bikes, Wed 29 Oct 2008, 14:50, Reply)