Woss and Brand....

[northener]

I quite like Jonathon Ross, I'm a regular listener to his Saturday show on R2. He can be a little a little close to the knuckle - but no more than that - and is not frightened of taking the mickey out of himself.
As for Russel Brand, he is occasionally vaguely amusing.


haven't heard the tapes , and, it's difficult to comment on the content without hearing the original version. Anything can look horrendous when selectively 'quoted' in the papers.


If these allegations are as serious as they look, then their actions are inexcusable. But I'll reserve my own judgement for now.

Mr Brand seems to feel that he was being very funny with his risque remarks about someone who could not defend themselves at that time.

I'm sure that Mr Brand would have no hesitation when out on a night-time in making these 'funny' accuations to someones father or grandfather face to face. No doubt the subsequent ferocious physical assault that would be launched upon his person would be extremely funny to himself and any onlookers around at that time........

[starry]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=U7IHJ66wj9g


I don't mind either of them but they did take it too far with this one.

[badger]

I've never understood the success of Ross and he's been worse since being paid a grossly over inflated salary. Don't find Brand very funny either. Trouble with paying people too much money is they then think they can do no wrong, they're untouchable. Sad that those who now run the Beeb no longer have any standards.

[floyed]

I dont like Johnathan Ross at all!

[Bad Manners]

It appears that Russel Brand has been made to apologise due to the pressure of the public.
The public IMO should have pressed further to rid us of these overpaid under talented people.
They both should have been sacked for this at the very least if a member of the general public you and me did this we would be on criminal charges.

[helenwyler]

I find both Ross and Brand funny at times.

But this incident (though I have not read unexpurgated transliterations of the phone messages) sounds like hubris to me...excessive self-confidence and arrogance. Undoubtedly both R & B have very quick minds; too quick for self-censoring, and therefore the funnier? Hmmm....but then why did Brand allegedly play excerpts again during his 'apology'? Sorry if I've got this wrong.

The senior management who OK'd the airing and (possible) re-airing needs sacking imo. Perhaps he/she was too in awe of R & B's exorbitantly-paid, demi-god media profiles...sadly value-free, morally-anchorless, weak-mindedly subservient to the dicatates of hoped-for-under-21-year-old media ratings?

The 'anything goes' criterion for mass 'entertainment' has found a perfect victim in the 78-year-old Andrew Sachs, still active and much loved in the over-somethings age group.

Decadence was one of the contributing factors of the Fall of the Roman Empire (allegedly). Our crumbling economic certainties would be perfectly accompanied by a crunch of hyperventilated, conscience-free media gods . IMO .

<gets off high horse and beats self unremittingly with organic beanstalk>



Origin:
1880–85; < Gk hýbris insolence

[JAWS]

I have just heard parts of the phone-call on the PM News. The asked a recently retired senior BBC boss for his opinion. He described the incident as more akin to a pair of drunken teenagers in a phone box winding up one of their mates rather than something which should have been broadcast on the radio.

What makes matters worse is that this was not something done live on the spur of the moment which got out of hand but was pre-recorded, checked for it's content by a BBC editor and passed for broadcasting. In other words the broadcasting of it was carefully studied prior to broadcast.

Had an ordinary member of the public made a similar phonecall from his place of employment to9 a member of the public I have little doubt that they would, quite rightly and quite legally, be instantly dismissed.

Both Brand and Woss are working on the arrogant principal that they are too famous to be subjected to discipline. As for the claim that their behaviour can be explained away by representing the wit as being so fast that things just happen all I can say is that if their minds are so quick they would be able to keep control of their sewers and prevent them from being exposed to the public. Certainly in the clip I heard they were both more intent on giggling like morons at their own “cleverness” than in trying to be in any way entertaining, if it could ever be called that.

Peter Cooke was once asked about a TV sketch he did with Dudley Moore in which the comment "Bloody Lavatory" was used to hilarious effect. He explained that it was because it was said at the right time, in the right place, in the right sketch but if just saying "Bloody Lavatory" was all there was to being funny then everybody would be a successful comedian. It seems that Brand and Ross are too stupid to have learned that simple truth.

One day the pair of them may grow out of their childish schoolboy sillyness and learn how to be real comedians, but I doubt that will be anytime in the next forty years or so.

[percy toboggan]

Quick minds Helen?
They knee-jerk towards the smutty, risque & prurient.I've seen little of Brand,
though ~I remember his Uncle Ralph - a Rangers sharpshooter who fared less well at Manchester City.

Ross is the antithesis of a cultured comic cum presenter. I feel the man must be dreadfully insecure sexually to rabbit on about it as much as he does. The sight of him rubbing his hands across Sasha Baron Cohen's gusset was the final straw for me.
I'm no prude, and sexual innuendo can be funny post watershed - even homo innuendo - but keep it on a commercial channel and let these two louts make their money from adverts, and not the mug punters who buy a t.v. licence.
Incidentally, I think viewers of all ages can relate to the humour which abounds in 'Fawlty Towers' One needn't have been around the block umpteen times to find Manuel funny. He had the knack of comedy in spades whereas these two twerps are still at the sniggering teenager stage.

[helenwyler]

Quick minds Helen?
They knee-jerk towards the smutty, risque & prurient.I've seen little of Brand,

Quick minds can exercise themselves in any direction, can't they? From the smutty to the erudite.

I am not exonerating them. But they are quick. Hence their media success.

[percy toboggan]

Quick minds can exercise themselves in any direction, can't they? From the smutty to the erudite.

I am not exonerating them. But they are quick. Hence their media success.

Quick minds that default to smut, are inferior quick minds in my 'umble opinion.Their media success is subjective. They seem to polarise opinion and as many people can't stand 'em as like 'em.
I'm not sure 'erudite' covers the opposite end of the scale to smut when it comes to mass entertainment - I'd rather see 'invention', or 'originality' as 'erudition' could be lost on the majority.

[helenwyler]

Quick minds that default to smut, are inferior quick minds in my 'umble opinion.Their media success is subjective. They seem to polarise opinion and as many people can't stand 'em as like 'em.
I'm not sure 'erudite' covers the opposite end of the scale to smut when it comes to mass entertainment - I'd rather see 'invention', or 'originality' as 'erudition' could be lost on the majority.

Can't disagree with you. I wasn't making a value judgement. My values have little to do with present media targets. 'Erudtion' was a random opposite to 'smut'..not an absolute opposite.

[Kodiak]

I see that Ofcom is now going to investigate this Broadcast. Also at least one MP has called for the both of them to be sacked.

I for one would not miss either of them.

[2little2late]

Was listening to The Russell Brand show on Sat 18th Oct. when they played this prank on the actor Andrew Sachs. I was quite disgusted with the comments they were both making about the actor's granddaughter. If the BBC think this is entertainment then they have shown how low they will go in the name of entertainment.

I think they should both be taken to task and be asked to resign from their respective BBC shows. Jonathon Woss is a self centred, attention seeking, loud-mouth who loves the sound of his own voice and Russell is nothing but crude on his radio2 show. This childish performance really did lower the tone of Radio 2.

I was quite surprised the show wasn't taken off air as it was very lewd at times. I hope the BBC realise their stupid mistake and reprimand these two presenters good and proper.

[teenybash]

Do I pay my license for these pair of giblets and their rude and offensive ramblings.....I hope the BBC do the right thing and turf them. I certainly would not miss either.

[domino]

A pair of jumped up pipsqeaks

[percy toboggan]

The movement is growing...it might become irresistible.
The oiks may get their come-uppance.
Senior BBC heads should also roll.

They had their defenders today on the air waves - in the minority but unbowed. Fair play to those who disagree & exercise their opinion but there is clearly a huge majority who have seen red here.

I'm pleased to know I live in a society which still draws the line - somewhere at least.

[scotsboy]

I don't see how they (particulary Ross) should command such a high salary from the BBC - I wonder if a review of European national broadcasters would highlight such large salaries amongst their employees. We are told the BBC provide a national service, I don't see where Ross fits in, or should command such a high salary.

[Ash]

they have apologised
it has been accepting
it been on the news 24/7 is making it a bigger deal than what it is!

[golach]

I don't see how they (particulary Ross) should command such a high salary from the BBC - I wonder if a review of European national broadcasters would highlight such large salaries amongst their employees. We are told the BBC provide a national service, I don't see where Ross fits in, or should command such a high salary.

Exactly Scotsboy, he has had his day, I think he and the other twit went too far

[hotrod4]

To be honest it should be water off a ducks back for the grand-daughter,seeing the way she likes to live her life.
This from the sun:

The actor said it was his granddaughter Georgina Baillie, 23 — a former Page Three hopeful — who was most upset.

He said: “People ask me if I’m angry — well, yes. But not half as angry as Georgina.

“That’s where the apology should be directed.”

Busty Georgina — who has forged a bizarre career as “Voluptua” in a vampire-themed dance troupe called the Satanic Sluts — was last night on her way home from performing in Vienna.

Its the last bit that gets me! She is in a dance troupe called "the satanic sluts" well with a name like that maybe Brand did sleep with her

Its been blown out of proportion, YES they shouldnt have done it, but they did, draw a line and move on, or maybe Mr Sachs will be contacting the BBC to demand "compensation for the stress"? Wasnt this the same man who was lambasted for mocking the spanish in a certain high-profile show in the name of Comedy? So he can mock but brand and Ross cant?