Gordon Brown commenting on Russel Brand/Jonathan Ross??

[lauraloola]

Shouldnt he be more worried about the state of the country and not what those 2 get up to on radio??

I'd rather give them money (via the licence fee yadda yadda) than the banks.

What did RB and JR say to the granddaughter I think Russel brand is hilarious

GB is making it bigger than it is and really should not worry about what pranks RB is upto.

Blown out of all proportion if you ask me, I cannot believe that it was the headlining story on the news!

It does rather look to me as if GB has realised the interest in this issue and is leaping on the bandwagon by commenting - though perhaps that's just my cynicism about politicians.

Just watched the Alan Titmarsh show and they were talking about this. One guest said that Andrew sachs was asked for his permission to air the interview and he said 'as long as it was toned down abit, he was fine with it going out'. They feel it is the Granddaughter who is blowing it up to get money from the press, she has just sold her story to one of the big papers for big money.

GB commenting on this seems nonsensical.

Sorry but I've lost all sympathy for the granddaughter after finding out she's sold her story to The Sun. Smacks a little of sour grapes and publicity seeking behaviour to me, although I do appreciate that JR and RB were out of order in what they said.

Agree re GB, he's probably glad someone else is in more trouble than him for a change.

Yup - I was pretty shocked when I heard she had sold her story to the papers. TO be honest I was shocked that she had actually slept with him too.

When I first heard what they had said, I thought that he was doing the same sort of wind-up as when he told Rod Stewart he'd screwed his daughter. Possibly he had but Rod Stewart didn't find it at all funny and told him so. You'd think that Brand would have realised by now that people do not like it when you say you've shagged their beloved offspring.

I'm wondering whether I am now officially part of the 'older generation' as I just don't get Russell Brand and I don't think this whole stunt was funny.

I have only read one report on this and have to say I think what they did was in poor taste but this is a massive overreaction from the media that it is the headline item on the news ffs!

No sympathy anymore either if the gd is selling her story - if that is your attitude you deserve it love.

Plus I hadn't realised that RB has done the same thing to Rod Stewart - so why on earth is this so different then - am I missing something?

I think this is different because the Rod Stewart thing was live on stage and RS was able to respond immediately (he gave RB a real ticking off). In this recent case it was pre-recorded which means it went through an editorital process and was still broadcast, funded by us the licence payer.

However you are absolutely right. This should not be headline news. ON R4 last night it was only way down the bulletin that they mentioned that the police had shot someone dead in Essex yesterday, and that in fact this was the third person shot by the police this year. First I had heard of it! Think it would be more appropriate for the prime minister to be commenting on that than a couple of peurile radio presenters.

1. They are arrogant idiots & it's the kind of unamusing prank a 15 yo would pull. They should be made to personally fund any fine the BBC has to pay.

BUT

2)Whoever decided to broadcast it should get a dressing down (altho I didn't realise Sachs had okayed it)

3. The media is blowing it way way WAY out of proportion. Had the GD attempted suicide or something over it then, yeah, but uh, she sells her story to the Sun??????!

4)it's virtually the only piece of 'news' that isn't the US election or the recession so the media have latched onto it. I think the media are to blame for a lot of things TBH. They made sure the recession was a self-fulfilling prophecy for one... [Discuss]

Sachs did not okay it. His granddaughter was entirely right to make the best of a bad situation by selling her story. Had she gone public backin 2006 when she had the fling with Brand I would have thought less of her. Giving her side after Ross and Brand's nasty phonecalls to her grandfather was only right. I hope she made lots of money.

It is not an important story in itself, but it gives people a chance to voice their outrage at this kind of nasty bullying that sometimes is treated as comedy and called "edgy". The BBC should not be funding and broadcasting such mean spirited pap.

Upwind - I agree that they are puerile & think that they are 'untouchable'. And it wasn't funny. Perhaps JR should give a huge wad of [our] cash to charity?

But what does amuse me is that on the day there were only 3 complaints. Now there have been 27,000! "I forced myself to watch this on Youtube and I am SO distressed!" I mean, really... It should be between the Sachs family & the BBC.

If it was not the BBC, I think that it would be a matter for the Sachs family only and so many complaints after the event would have been absurd.

But the licence holders' money should not be used to fund broadcasting the public finds offensive even if there is a market for it. So people are entirely within their right to complain. I did not but was disgusted that they "joked"

• about details like she wasn't menstrual
• Andrew Sachs might want to hang himself on hearing the messages
• they could cheer him up by breaking into his house while he was asleep and molesting him

The calls were entirely nasty and abusive. They also seemed prepared. I guess a lot of people who never complained before because these pillocks were untouchable siezed the opportunity to vent their annoyance.

The grand daughter is part of a burlesque groupd called the Satanic Sluts - a burlesque troupe with a gothic/S&M edge apparently. So is Andrew Sachs more bothered by what Ross/Brand said or the fact by mentioning her everyone will now know what his grand daughter does for a living? And is she really bothered or is it more likely that as an actress/model all publicity is good publicity. And are the papers really that bothered or is it the fact that most fo them are owned by other media moguls who compete, and generally lose, against the BBC?

I think that Sachs is right to be annoyed but that she is rather relishing the publicity.

Upwind - I agree with you that the calls were horrible & that all those responsible should be punished. I don't know much about RB but I always feel that JR - although usually a good broadcaster - thinks himself untouchable. BUT I think the media is having an unnecessary field day.

Obviously RB and JR were out of order for the comments that they made, but the girl is loving all the publicity that she is reciving now.

I think it has been completely blown out of proportion, there has been no need for all the newspaper and television coverage that it has recieved.

I think that Sachs is right to be annoyed but that she is rather relishing the publicity.

Upwind - I agree with you that the calls were horrible & that all those responsible should be punished. I don't know much about RB but I always feel that JR - although usually a good broadcaster - thinks himself untouchable. BUT I think the media is having an unnecessary field day.

But wasn't Andrew Sachs full of poise and elegance? "they are preformers....they should do better".

orperformers even..

Yes Andrew Sachs has come out of this wonderfully. Everyone is even fonder of him than ever before. It may re-kindle his career if he chooses to go that way.

Bamzooki - love the phrase 'moral handbrake'!