Ofcom to probe BBC prank calls
- 00:02:11
- ITN
Ofcom to probe BBC prank calls
The BBC is facing calls to sack Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand following the storm of criticism over the pair's "offensive" phone calls to actor Andrew Sachs. Media watchdog Ofcom is investigating after they left messages for the former Fawlty Towers star after he apparently did not answer his phone for a pre-arranged radio interview to promote a television show. The BBC has so far received more than 1,500 complaints over the prank. In the messages, Ross suggested Brand had slept with the 78-year-old's granddaughter and joked that the actor might kill himself as a result. The pair then made a number of calls in which they attempted to apologise for what was "just a joke", but continued to leave lewd messages. Mediawatch-UK, the pressure group which campaigns for "decency and accountability" in the media, called for Brand and Ross to be removed from broadcasting while the BBC investigated the incident. John Whittingdale, chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport select committee, stopped short of calling for Brand and Ross to be sacked but he insisted an investigation was needed into editorial "failures". The BBC apologised both publicly and personally to Mr Sachs. His agent, Meg Poole, had emailed and written to the BBC to formally complain about the calls. Ross, 47, has issued a personal apology, with Brand, 33, delivering a light-hearted apology on his latest radio show, saying "you mustn't swear on someone's answerphone", but admitted that the hoax was "quite funny". It's the second time Brand has been reprimanded for similar claims. In 2006, he angered rocker Rod Stewart when he told the audience at an awards ceremony that he had had "a little go at his daughter". Stewart delivered a firm telling-off to the comedian for the remark about Kimberley, prompting the presenter to admit that he had not had sex with her. In a more recent incident, Brand's on-stage routine prompted a police warning about hoax calls, after an audience in Northampton watched him prank call the local force to claim he had spotted someone responsible for a number of assaults in the area. And Jonathan Ross, paid £18 million by the BBC, famously courted controversy when he boasted he was worth "1,000 BBC journalists".
ITN | October 28, 2008
