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Post by Nancy on Oct 31, 2008 15:14:19 GMT
I personally like Russell Brand and though I think that what he did was distasteful I think it's all gone a bit over the top now. I can understand him quitting but it's a shame the director of Radio 2 has had to quit. I think Johnathon Ross should keep his job too as both presenters have apologised and it did sound like they just got a bit carried away, and it's not their job to edit the show. I haven't listened to the show for a while but I've heard people on the show (not just Brand) say far worse things, sadly I just think it's because they picked on Andrew Sachs, if it had been someone like Timmy mallet no one would have cared. What does everyone else think about the fuss that's been made? Do you think Johnathon Ross deserves to be sacked?
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Post by bert weedon-stembottom on Oct 31, 2008 15:43:25 GMT
I do know who Andrew Sachs is, but have no idea what the fuss is about or who's involved. Could those of us outside the UK have a brief summary, please?
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Post by kattsay on Oct 31, 2008 21:59:08 GMT
Russell Brand and Jonathon Ross are TV presenters/comedians/radio presenters who were supposed to have Andrew Sachs on their radio show but he didn't show up or something...so they called his answer machine. Quite a few times. Heres the radio show thats caused the contoversy!
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Post by bert weedon-stembottom on Nov 1, 2008 4:44:24 GMT
Many thanks for the info and the link, Kattsay. They sound sort of like a Brit version of Howard Stern wannabes. Working in broadcasting I've noticed many gentle, good people (Stern among them) take on monstrous personalities when placed in front of a mike or camera. The higher-ups at BBC surely understand this - broadcasting executives will tolerate anything that increases listenship / viewership until there's a fuss like this raised. Then they get all sanctimonious, cover their corporate asses, and run. The on-air "talent" know they've been given free reign and will sometimes step over the line. They also know they'll get no support from the suits when they do. It's what's called "stunt" broadcasting and it shouldn't be taken so very seriously.
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Post by Nancy on Nov 1, 2008 14:06:32 GMT
I think your absolutely right as I said before they have said far worse things on this show (Johnathon Ross isn't normally there he has his own radio show). The problem really is that lots of people don't like Russell Brand they don't get his humour, and you can bet your bottom dollar these people loved "Fawlty Towers". So the way they see it some young upstart comedian has picked on the guy who played one of our most beloved comedy characters. The fact the show he was in regularly featured him being beaten for not being able to understand English hasn't been mentioned at all incidentally, if that show was made today I'm sure they wouldn't have been allowed to do that The calls were played repeatedly on the news in isolation and the number of complaints received trebled as soon as they did this. So people who didn't even listen to the show so don't understand the context have complained, it's turned into a witch hunt. The girl they supposedly hurt so badly has sold her story to The Sun (a terrible tabloid newspaper) too, and her modeling portfolio has been shown on the news lots so she hasn't done too badly out of it it seems. I thought he hadn't actually slept with her but apparently they did date, not that it makes it any better he said the things he did about her it was still in bad taste. But he has said similar things about other girls he's dated both in his stand up and on his shows so you must know there's a chance he will do it to you if you date Russell Brand. All I can say is I had never heard of her before this happened and I still only know her as "Andrew Sach's Grand Daughter" so it all smacks of a girl trying to make it in modeling off the back of her famous grand dad and her famous ex when he was foolish enough to say something against her on his radio show listened too by millions.
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Post by Nancy on Nov 1, 2008 14:26:52 GMT
This Is Andrew Sachs Grand daughter by the way. I can't see the resemblance myself
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Post by moosehead on Nov 1, 2008 18:00:47 GMT
If they had apologised in the second or third calls (as they said they were going to) or not joked about Sachs committing suicide over it later in the show, they probably would have got away with it. As it was it gave the people and papers who like BBC-bashing an excuse to get all high and mighty (the Daily Mail for istance loves anything that lets it claim the moral high ground).
Having said that I've been out of the country since it happened with access to only SkyNews and the whole thing seems to have been one hell of a storm in a teacup. But then again I've never been a fan of 'prank calls' - they are almost always an excuse to abuse the receiver of the calls.
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Post by Nancy on Nov 1, 2008 18:59:41 GMT
Yes the point of prank call is always to humiliate or make someone angry and it isn't ever very funny. The thing is the number of complaints wasn't that big till they started playing the calls on the news, and they have done worse it's just the guy they've picked on that has made everyone so angry.
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Post by eddieb on Mar 7, 2013 5:59:25 GMT
Lotsa love for old Russell here I see. Good stuff!!!
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