Storm in a BBC size tea cup?

Well it has just been announced on the 10 o’clock News that Russell Brand has resigned from his BBC Radio 2 show following the storm over the prank call he and Johnathan Ross made to Andrew Sachs ‘joking’ about Brand sleeping with his Grandaughter. If you don’t know what storm I’m talking about then WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

Listen to the full phone call here:

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I just wanted to say that I think this has been blown massively out of proportion by the press. I do agree that it wasn’t very PC of them or very clever. As two of the BBC’s top earners they should know better. BUT nobody died and it was meant to be a joke. Even Andrew Sachs himself has said that he accepts their apology and admits that in comedy, sometimes, “you just get it wrong.” The only person still fueling the media fire seems to be Georgina Baillie. After all she is getting lots of coverage out of it. Surely Andrew Sachs can’t be that shocked by Russell? After all, his Grandaughter is in a dance show called Satanic Sluts.

I think that in the whole story there are two things that have been MASSIVELY overlooked. Firstly, the phone call was pre-recorded and so never should have gone to air in the first place. Who produced this show? If this is so scandalous then where is their resignation? And secondly, after this show was broadcast (before the papers and TV got hold of the story) Ofcom only received 2 complaints. Surely this shows that for the most part listeners knew what to expect from Russell Brand’s show?

I have added to this post today following the article in today’s Independent. Read Here.

It turns out the show was produced by 25year old Nic Philps. Philps has told colleagues “He called Sach’s to discuss the messages, and as a result, felt that he could broadcast them providing the material was toned down.’ The decision to broadcast was his.