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Stop Witch hunting ross and Brand: by Peter Tatchell

143 replies

morningpaper · 30/10/2008 13:00

Stop Witch hunting Ross and Brand

soooooo totally agree with this article

I am wondering which comedians will be fired next?

I guess people won't be happy until the BBC is running costume dramas 24/7.

OP posts:
Spidermama · 30/10/2008 15:18

jumping ... they havbe sujspended the two while they investigate and yes it is a reponse to the complaints. The scale of the outcry is almost unprecedented so it's absolutely right that the BBC takes this seriously.

beaniescreamyb · 30/10/2008 15:19

The licence fee is set annually by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The money received is first paid into the Government's Consolidated Fund.

Successive inquiries, such as the parliamentary Peacock committee in 1986 and the internal Davies committee in 2000, recommended continuing the licence fee, with conditions. In 2001, an Ofcom report found that the vast majority of those it interviewed, including owners of digital television equipment, supported the principle of a licence fee funded public service broadcasting. The advantages of such funding listed by those interviewed included diversity, high quality, education, innovation, entertainment, information, original productions, pluralism, accessibility, inclusion of minorities and free access Another reason given in a response to Ofcom by the National Union of Journalists was that the licence fee allows the BBC to retain independence from both commercial and political pressures.

Peachy · 30/10/2008 15:20

I agree with the atrticle

yous eem to be able to geta way wth so much these days and if OFCOM supports these complaints I'll be a bit after some of the crap that gets shown- I remember OFCOM rejecting the complaints (all 45 so why 300000 here!) about the Jim Davidson shirt lifeter thing- and big brother stayed n screen after the whole debacle didnt it?

Sadly.

I don't like Ross when he's bullying individuals; I do like him other times. Not sure about Brand but in fairness haven't seen much of him either, his hair annoys me so I avoid him.

If I could make a random guess which could well be in my imagination so dont slate me, i have already stated I might be wrong- this little aldy slet with Brand thinking it coud well be a boost up the rather sleazy laddder she seems to be on and it backfired. I have zero sympath with her. Andrew Sachs I feel sorry for, but all the ire seems to come from her!

So seems to me its an employment issue anow and should be dealt with in as such. Mainly because its boring me now.

ScareyBitchFeast · 30/10/2008 15:20

In October 1981, Everett returned to BBC Radio, albeit this time on Radio 2, on Saturday lunchtime from 11am-1pm. This lasted until 1983, when he was once again dismissed after making a rude joke about Margaret Thatcher: "When England was a kingdom, we had a king. When we were an empire, we had an emperor. Now we're a country ... and we have Margaret Thatcher". This remark reportedly led to the non-renewal of his contract with BBC Radio 2.

rofl,
exerpt from wiki as to why kenny everett was sacked the second time from bbc radio (2 this time)

dittany · 30/10/2008 15:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

clam · 30/10/2008 15:23

mabanana - "The other reason I feel so disillusioned by this column is that he has outed himself as a misogynist with his repellent statement - "It is not as if Baille is some innocent convent girl. She admits she slept with Brand."
Tatchell's point here was that she is claiming that her reputation has been damaged when, actually, she actively promotes an image that can hardly be described as pure.

beaniescreamyb · 30/10/2008 15:24

jumpingbeans - they probably listened to it, not watched it.

Though the language used has been that the programme was 'signed off' so who knows. Someone must have listened to it to have called Sachs to ask if he wanted it changed as he claims they did in a mobile phone call.

No one has been sacked - yet. Brand has resigned. Any minute now the official report/statement is expected!

beaniescreamyb · 30/10/2008 15:26

ScareyBitchFeast - that's funny!

Spidermama · 30/10/2008 15:26

I think people are seeing this as a chance to register their dislike for JR. Up to now he's had very little bad publicity and we're all aware of how much the BBC has decided to pay him on our behalf. I think it's becoming less and less about Georgina and Andrew Sachs and more and more about Ross's wages, the licence fee and the feeling of helplesslness from the payers.

Sallyallyally · 30/10/2008 15:27

There are a an awful lot more important things to get upset about other than a rather juvenile practical joke. Politicians and papers getting involved....ridiculous...make a bit more fuss about the things that really matter. Some people seem to be professional complainers and look for things to be offended by. Ok, so they could both say sorry...we've been rather stupid. That's about it really. If you don't enjoy Roass and Brand, switch them off. Simple as that.

ScareyBitchFeast · 30/10/2008 15:28

i heart kenny everett

mabanana · 30/10/2008 15:30

God people hate women don't they? Why assume she slept with RB as a 'step up the ladder' - if she wanted publicity out of it, you'd think she might have been the one to mention it, and that she might not have texted him begging him to stop making horrible on-air jokes about having sex with her, wouldn't you?
She clearly DID NOT LIKE it. What kind of arsehole has a relationship with a woman and then thinks it is funny to make horrible jokes about it on the radio, actually naming her. I would have been absolutely horrified if it was me.

dittany · 30/10/2008 15:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mabanana · 30/10/2008 15:32

Clam, don't you see the language her - "she ^admits" sleeping with Brand" (as thought it is admission of wrongdoing) and 'she's not an innocent convent girl' (ie so men can do anything do her and she has no right to complain) rather shows that Tatchell's liberalism and equal rights agenda does not extend as far as you might think? He really was one of my heroes. Not any more. Why is he allying himself with homophobes like JR anyway?

jumpingbeans · 30/10/2008 15:32

I love Kenny, I loved cupid Stunt

beaniescreamyb · 30/10/2008 15:33

I wonder if 30,000 people have bothered to watch the video of Brand's apology!?

SoupDragon · 30/10/2008 15:33

I can't be ar$ed to click the link but I can't believe how much public fuss is being made over such a non-story.

Upwind · 30/10/2008 15:33

Kenny Everett is an example of a comedian who took on powerful people, mostly the leading politicians of the day. I wish there were more comedians in the UK who would do that. We have nothing that compares to the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Or probably we do, but they are not given a chance.

I was trying to think of a comedian I thought was really edgy, and Bill Hicks was the first to come to mind. He was funny and controversial without being demeaning or puerile.

Quattrocento · 30/10/2008 15:34

Ah, not joining in the howls of outrage over the "gutter tv presenters". Which is what one paper called them today. I hadn't previously realised that BBC radio 2 was gutter tv.

They weren't funny though MP. Surely a bit of hounding is deserved for not being funny.

Peachy · 30/10/2008 15:35

I do not ahte women! But she doesn't seem exactly average women either (what was the name of the group she dances with? satanic sluts? and liking women is not the same as thinking they're all innocent is it?

If this was Jordan there's be no problem saying that- esp. as I said it was a guess no more.

Spidermama · 30/10/2008 15:36

I'm depressed that people are using this as a reason to attack the woman. Typical mysogenistic response. She's a slag etc.

I wish she hadn't sold her story. That was a bit tasteless so early on, but she's young and she's being talked about all over the place, often in the most unflattering terms, so I can see why she's want to have her say.

She didn't ask for any of this and she's a young woman doing young woman things. I really don't see any need to attack her.

expatinscotland · 30/10/2008 15:39

'They weren't funny though MP. Surely a bit of hounding is deserved for not being funny.'

EXACTLY!

Peachy · 30/10/2008 15:41

I'm not sure the mysogeny has been tat severe- certainly she has the right to sleep wit who she wants but seems ti me i'd know if I slept witrh him it could go tits up

otoh i am old and she's young and I did my fair share of silly tings which no doubt my elders shok their head at

however ultimately if adrew sachs is now ok with this then its over surely? I guess thats what I dont get

beaniescreamyb · 30/10/2008 15:50

For me - this isn't about labelling someone a slag, it's about recognising the hypocrisy of making SUCH a big deal about the offence caused to your elderly grandfather and then selling a story in which you tell 3 million people that Brand imitated 'Manuel' during sex.

This does not seem to be the action of a concerned grandaughter.

clam · 30/10/2008 15:52

mabanana - would 'acknowledged' have been a better word than 'admitted' then?

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