Comedian quits as broadcaster investigates controversial prank calls
Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand have been taken off air by the BBC over their prank calls to Fawlty Towers star Andrew Sachs.
Both have been suspended pending an investigation, director general Mark Thompson has confirmed, but now Russell Brand has quit the corporation.
'I got caught up in the moment,' Russell told ITV's News At Ten. 'I don't want to cause any more trouble. I take full responsibility.
'Jonathan Ross is a kind family man who just did something a little bit silly.'
The BBC has received over 27,000 complaints about the radio broadcast which featured the comedians leaving lewd messages on 78-year-old Andrew's phone.
The calls, in which the pair talked about Russell having sex with the veteran actor’s granddaughter Georgina Baillie, 23, were broadcast on the former drug addict's pre-recorded Radio 2 show on 18 October.
Today Jonathan Ross has issued a statement about his behaviour. 'I am deeply sorry about my juvenile remarks,' he says. 'It was a stupid error of judgment on my part.'
Russell, 33, and Jonathan, 47, have been criticised by Prime Minister Gordon Brown for their ‘inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour’.
But at the National TV Awards this evening, Big Brother host Davina McCall showed support for the duo.
'They're both brilliant at their jobs,' she said, 'we know they're naughty boys.'
Russell was sacked by MTV after arriving at work dressed as Osama bin Laden the day after 9/11 and by Xfm radio for reading out 'pornography' on a Sunday afternoon show.
In 2006, he boasted he'd slept with Rod Stewart's daughter Kimberly but had to admit his claim was false after the singer confronted him.
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Do we actually know if Russell Brand HAD actually shagged Manuel's grand daughter?!
Yes, Andrew Sachs' granddaughter has admitted she slept with Russell Brand 3 times
I think Georgina is probably counting all the money she has made from selling pictures and stories to newspapers as we speak!
Were Russell and Jonathan right to do what they did, and say what they said? No, of course not. That doesnt mean it needs all of the column inches its been getting. It was just a bad joke. Andrew Sachs has handled the whole thing in a dignified manner. The same, however, cannot be said for the granddaughter, who appears to be enjoying her 15 minutes of fame. The majority of the people who complained were simply jumping on the media bandwagon and i doubt they even listened to the show. The real complaint should not be about Russell and Jonathan, but about why this show was aired. The whole thing is just a ridiculous mess.
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