Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand suspended by BBC

[Jim Ballard]

Sorry, I haven't gone on a rant in a while...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7696714.stm

While I agree the phone call was in bad taste, I can't help but feel this has been blown far out of proportion. This incident has even been brought up in PARLIMENT. This really irks me. Don't they have better things to be discussing? Sure, I pay my TV license which pays Ross and Brand to make these stupid phone calls, but I also pay my taxes and want parliment to actually do something productive with my money. I guess the story acts as a scapegoat to helps shift focus from the real issues in the country at the moment (read: economy, credit crunch).

I mean, honestly, the Prime Minister is taking questions about it? What's next? President Bush holding a press conference about Paris Hilton's wacky antics?

What I find even more ridiclious is that the BBC claim they had recieved very few complaints about the broadcast, and it was only after the story hit the news that the complaints (thousands of them) came flooding in. So, people are complaining about something they haven't even witnessed for themselves? Their opinions have been formed out of someone's editorial piece?

Honestly, worse things have happened. For one thing, Brand's phoney call to the emergency services while he was on stage was a much greater offense, since that's really abusing a public service that saves lives. But they didn't suspend him for that.

Their calls were lewed, but Ross at least has apologised personally to Sachs, and I fail to believe that at least half of the people complaining haven't done something worse than leaving some rude messages on someone's answer machine. I think the people who should be suspended are those who decided this was fit for broadcast, as the show was pre-recorded and Sachs had already requested they not air it before it aired. This seems to be the main issue here; that it was broadcast on national radio and thus caused a lot of embarassment.

The only good thing to ever come out of my TV license was DOCTOR WHO and FRIDAY NIGHT WITH JONATHAN ROSS. I mean, what the hell else is worth watching on the BBC?

I'll laugh when Ross moves to Channel 4 and the BBC loses yet another high-rated show. I can see this coming.

[lhb412]

Oh my God! An innapropriate dirty joke!


ANARCHY! ANARCHY! AMARCHY!

[Robert Saint John]

Someone obviously has it out for the Beeb these days. Didn't realize it had crept over to the radio as well. So much whining over the past year about who's getting paid how much, fake licence fee outrage and so on. Keep it up Parliament, and the BBC will soon be as drab and purile as ITV.

OTOH, this is similar to the outrageous amount of time, energy and money spent here in the US a few years back by our Congress and the Federal Communications Commission over Janet Jackson's nipple. In the meantime, digital television is about to launch in a few months and half the population still has no idea what it means.

I'd rant more, but then I'd be slipping into politics, and would have to ban myself.

Having said all that... Georgina Baillie = yum!