Russell Brand, Jonathan Woss and Andrew Sachs

[JoolsToo]

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/3263328/Russell-Brand-and-Jonathan-Ross-joke-radio -phone-calls-just-werent-funny.html

Have we not had a discussion about this? I'm surprised.

Seedy, sordid, unfunny little men pad obscene amounts of money to be obscene.

What's your view?

wintera - we comment on many injustices without having witnessed them (though I have, in this case, heard the broadcast).

Yours is the last resort of the argument-bereft.

hullygully - I don't give a toss whether they are enjoying my outrage or not. Because they are derbrains.

Thinking things through isn't necessarily silly, you know.

Sorry, haven't the thread because there are too many posts.

Both of these 'entertainers' have rare moments of genius but only moments; the rest is usually unfunny rubbish and, at worst, offensive. They are both very clever (and very ugly) but it is often hard to appreciate this with all the shit they talk. The way that they settle for lewdness when they could be interesting.

Parki was right when he said that JR did a good interview of Faye Dunaway. This was because he did it straight, was respectful towards Ms Dunaway and he knows his stuff when it comes to films. But, given his usual performances, JR is definitely not worth the money he is paid. The BBC must be mad. He irritates me. And I can't stand RB's crudeness either. 'Ball-bags'. His voice makes me think of venereal disease. But he can be funny and original and thought-provoking at times. They both can.

The comments re. Andrew Sachs gd were offensive, in poor taste, hurtful on a personal level to Andrew Sachs. I can't imagine who would find the 'prank' funny. Unchivalrous. Etc., etc..

Disgusted and offended of Mumsnetland.

I just hate prank phone calls. Why do radio presenters still think they are funny. I hate them hate them hate them. Every time a prank phone call is played on whatever radio station I'm listening to, i switch over to something else. It ruins the show.

I listen to a morning show on a local Birmingham heavy rock station and everything goes fine until the guy decides he's going to call some caterers in Poland and ask for a cake in the shape of Bruce Forsyth's head or something equally unfunny. The polish guy is confused and doesn't get it and the DJ's laugh hysterically at him like it's the funniest thing in world and that he's a complete idiot. pathetic.

Mabanana summed it up:

"I think there is a pent up feeling that people are tired of casual rudeness and cruelty, of obscene abuse passing for humour, of the grotesque lad culture even in middleaged men and general unkindness - and this has hit a nerve."

I don't think that RB will do badly out of this. It has given his show more publicity and his puerile, juvenile audience won't care. He is young enough to get away with lewdness.

JR is more contrite because his mainstream audience plainly do care. This draws everyone's attention to the fact that as he has become middle-aged, he has been increasingly sleazy and no commercial broadcaster would pay a fraction of the BBC's 18 million. Even if they don't fire him, the BBC would find it difficult to renew his contract on the same terms or better. The joke is on him, and Andrew Sachs knows it

I also agree with Mabanana.

RB has flashes of brilliance, but is too impressed with himself to be funny most of the time. JR has become a characture of himself and now, all-too-often, goes way over the top. I've stopped watching his show, despite the calliber of guests, because it's just too cringy.

I'm all for pushing boundaries when it comes to comedy but, I wouldn't even class this as comedy....

"How on earth can it be irrelevant that a lot of people are commenting on something they haven't even listened to?"

Because in an age of cyber bullying prank calls are in dubious taste anyway, and any practical joke/prank call is wrong if not done with the co-operation of the victim. This is true if the perpetrator is Jonathan Ross, Jeremy Beadle, or that child in your daughter's class who has a nasty sense of humour and too much time on their hands.

It wouldn't matter if JR and RB had phoned Andrew Sach's answerphone and recited the alphabet or tryed to sell him double glazing. Without his approval it was an invasion of privacy and should not have been broadcast.

Why the hell does the BBC need to set up a formal week-long enquiry to establish how the show was given the go ahead? Surely, they should know whose job it was to sign off that show? In any functioning organisation it shouldn't take more than a quick phone call to establish this. That person should obviously be held accountable. And an explanation is needed as to why Sachs' complaint was ignored and an apology was so slow in coming.

Georgina Baillie has called for both Ross and Brand to be sacked:

"Talking about her grandfather, she said: ?We?re very close and I can?t tell you how much it hurts to know they were so unkind to such a sweet person. They should at least pay for what they?ve done with their jobs.?

She admitted that she had slept with Brand three times in late 2006 and that she had not seen him since early this year. ?My grandfather is really upset,? she told The Sun. ?I will be speaking to him to ask whether we should complain to the police and we?ll be making the decision as a family.? "

entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article5034183.e ce

Quote - and his puerile, juvenile audience won't care

I have been listening to both Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand for a number of years now. I am a 34 year old housewife and full time Mum. I listen to Jonathan Ross on a Sat morn when I am cleaning my house. (Hardly rock and roll!! ) The same with Russell Brand's podcasts. I am not puerile of juvenile.

Wintera, if you say so

Though I am far from convinced that household chores make peurility impossible.

Yes, quite right. Maybe I am puerile and juvenile! Wow, I've just had an epiphany.

but she did sleep with RB,so he made a factually correct but offensive statement

i think georgina is milking this publicity

feel sad her granfather is upset

but georgina has certainly composed herself enough to have her agent max clifford on board to sell her story.i fully expect to see her in a basque in the News of the world going on she feels humiliated

That makes no odds, SM. She can make of this situation what she will. But she was not given the opportunity to consent to it, for which RB and JR should be ashamed.

This outrage is utter nonsense

People are offended by every single television programme that is aired - there is ALWAYS someone upset or offended, especially by comedy

People are only outraged by this because they hate Ross and Brand's success. Any of their shows features stuff that is just as edgy as this - that's the nature of their work. That's why they are both incredibly rich and successful and why millions of people tune into their shows.

Is this "edgy"?

People are only outraged by this because they hate Ross and Brand's success

I disagree MP. I've found both of them very funny in the past, but JR in particular has allowed his underlying misogyny to blossom in recent years, and I've found him offensive on numerous occasions.

I think the 'offended by success' line is a rather trite (but effective) way of shutting down reasonable dissent, a bit like 'political correctness gone mad'.

plenty of people on here are fans but think this is shitty, mp. me, for example.

I have been to see RB in the past and on many occassions have been in tears watching him. This, however, is just not funny.
JR was funny once, now he is just tired.

"People are offended by every single television programme that is aired - there is ALWAYS someone upset or offended, especially by comedy"

Its not the offensive stuff on television or radio that annoys me its the offensive stuff left on somebody's answering machine.

Should the BBC be airing shows that the majority of licence-holders would find offensive?

I like Jonathan Ross as a rule too Aitch. Yes I'm a bit about the huge sums he earns but not really to the extent that I "hate his success" and therefore him.

I agree Madame P.

I feel really embarrassed that this mild and benign and cultured 78-year-old man has this stuff on his answerphone.

And to MP, part of the problem is precisely that JR and RB aren't edgy, unless knocking on a doorbell and running away is edgy too.

The only broadcast hoaxing that ever seemed worth doing was Chris Morris's in Brass Eye and the like. He was 'edgy' because he challenged taboos in ways that made us think. He was clever and satirical.

But even his hoaxes made me feel so awkward I wanted to switch off.

Actually, 'knocking on a doorbell' is kind of edgy, or at least unusual.

I'm a big fan of RB and not easily offended by his comedy at all. I think there is a place for edgy raw comedy, but this was misjudged and cruel of him.

JR I just don't really appreciate anymore. He makes me cringe with his fawning, juvenile mateyness, but he does have interesting guests and bands on his show, so that's why I often watch.

RB and JR were basically doing what the BBC took them on to do. It is the bosses there who chose to air this - it didn't go out live - and they who should pay with their jobs.

Yes, RB and JR should be punished certainly. A pay cut springs to mind. That'd wipe the smirk off JR's face. But those in charge of how our money is spent have an awful lot to answer for too and not just for this.

But they are an arrogant bunch who are not sorry about this. If only one or two people had complained, Andrew Sachs and his granddaughter would have got short shrift from them in terms of any 'apology'. They are just sorry it all blew up in their faces.