Politicians should butt out
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross over-stepped the mark with their prank phone calls to Andrew Sachs. That much is clear. However I recognise a witchhunt when I see one and when politicians - including the prime minister and the leader of the Opposition - jump on the bandwagon, it makes me feel very uncomfortable.
Prize for the most worrying and ill-judged comment goes to shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt who says it is "wrong for broadcasters to produce programmes that legitimise negative social behaviour".
So who decides what constitutes "negative social behaviour"? In some people's eyes, smoking represents "negative social behaviour". So does drinking more than eight units in a single session. And what about Gordon Ramsay saying "fuck" every few seconds? The list is endless.
I don't condone what Ross and Brand did but when politicians stick their oar in I know whose side I'm on.
Story HERE.
Reader Comments (12)
I totally agree Simon. I think Ross and Brand were completely out of order with their stunt, but 95% of the posts, articles, and letters, which I have been reading about it, go on more about Ross' salary than anything else.
I do think that he is overpaid, but, what the hell has how much he earns got to do with anything?
Politicians have smelled blood here, and have been quick to take up the chase. There is talk about a snap election being called, and our politicians are showing a little too much eagerness, in my opinion, to show they are on the side of the common man.
Ross and Brand are small fish. The BBC should impose massive fines upon the pair of them, and warn them about their behaviour.
Politicians should butt out, and get on with what they are being paid to do, we have real troubles to worry about, without worrying about a pair of overgrown schoolboys.
I agree with Peter there are far more serious issues for the govt to deal with than a couple of prats speaking out of order, for gods sake big brother shows are a far worse dehumanising and insult to the humam race that these same people who are so shocked over this incident cheer on. Talk about brainwashed masses and the race to the bottom. It would be more in Gordon's line to watch his back for the revolution coming that will kick him out on his useless ass.
Its just typical, if these shows are checked before airing why didnt the bosses heads roll instead of the actors involved who are just trying to up the ante to keep viewers happy and justify their big bucks salaries for their same said masters.
They should behave like the MSPs do in football matches and show some 'respect'. They all make good role models?
It's been astonishing to watch this witchhunt develop, with clips of Brand and Ross being repeatedly shown on all channels. What was merely tasteless on first viewing came to look worse and worse with each repeat screening. I almost felt like complaining myself after having seen it for about the tenth time.
No surprise to discover today that both have been suspended, and that Brand has now resigned. One might hazard a guess that both their careers are over. It's rather hard to see either re-appearing on TV in the near future.
Yet this was very much a media feeding frenzy. It was entirely media-driven. Played enough times, those clips were bound to provoke a storm of public outrage. Quite possibly playing any clip whatsoever this number of times would have provoked a similar storm. The media were playing the public like a violin.
It seems clear to me that shadowy figures inside the TV media saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Their motive? Envy, probably. I bet they weren't getting £6 million a year.
And in a dreadul overkill, the clips are still being repeated..I suppose this is sheer triumphalism.
Meanwhile Andrew Sach's very pretty granddaughter now appears in a fetchingly off-the-shoulder number, oozing satisfaction at the outcome. I can't help that it's all been very good for her public profile.
I don't like the tone of Jeremy Hunt's statement either. Politicians jumping on a bandwagon. The Gordo Brown "unacceptable" was as vomit-inducing as it was predictable.
But... the Beeb are funded by telly-tax, so Jonny Woss's salary is an issue as a misuse of public funds. Inform, educate, entertain etc. ... all possible without paying zillions for big-name celebs. Let the commercials pander to the lowest common denominator. The BBC, as the public broadcaster, should be authoritative, politically-neutral and geared towards highest quality at minimum cost.
Ha!
Am delighted to see so many people on comment-threads now threatening to stop paying their telly-taxes in protest.
Yes, it's very telling that the number of complaints rocketed after repeated reporting by the media. I'd like to think that had there been no such reporting, Ross and Brand would have volunteered a private apology to Sachs or apologised after disciplinary action by the Beeb and that would have been the end of the matter. In this country nowadays, however, so much is blown up out of all proportion and the world and his wife wade in with their opinion (I find it extraordinary that GB has put in his tuppenceworth - isn't he a bit busy at the moment?) My theory is that people are generally very angry, many are emotionally incontinent, and Ross and Brand, with their protected media lifestyles and large salaries, have provided convenient objects on which to vent this anger.
...and I include Sachs' granddaughter among the emotionally incontinent with her remark to the effect that the episode has ruined her life. What tosh!
Andrew Sachs is a cry-baby
I think it entirely legitimate to complain without hearing the show in question. I have to pay my licence fee so I employ these two foul mouthed jerks by default. The broadcasting of the show is not the point. Either way the message had been left on Mr Sach's phone. If any other member of the public made such a call, the police would no doubt be involved. For double standards, check out the rules of posting on the BBC website.
Without a trace of irony, BBC states
'We reserve the right to reject messages which
are racist, sexist, homophobic, sexually explicit, abusive or otherwise objectionable, or contain swear words or other language likely to offend'.
If the public, who fund the BBC, are to be told how to conduct themselves in online postings, perhaps they should first ensure their so called 'entertainers' abide by these standards too. Frankly I hope Ross vanishes from our screens for good - he is foul mouthed and vile and in any other environment would have been sacked for gross sexual misconduct. I can't think he would last 5 minutes in any normal working environment.
Perspective is something that doesn't exist anymore in the media.
How does this 'disgusting behaviour' compare with the obscene massacre of hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children in the 'War on terror' perpetrated and supported by many of the politicians that are now STILL in Parliament, STILL in their jobs, STILL respected by many, and the very ones that are baying for blood over a childish, misplaced prank.
War criminals who have YET to face the music.Not even a slap on their wrists.
I seem to have been a bit out of touch with this one. I heard a few things, then within days it was in parliament. So, I just spent some time on google and youtube. All I heard was two comedians who phoned Andrew Sachs, got his ansaphone, then got a bit carried away with the larking about. I have to admit, there were a few times when I burst out laughing. They obviously made a mistake, and I think they knew they had after the first call, then went and 'dug a deeper hole' for themselves. There are some people you could have that kind of lark with, and Andrew Sachs is not one of them, and that is not a slur on Sachs, Brand and Ross should have thought about it.
Here is a quote from an article in the Manchester Evening News by David Ottewell:
" only two of the 2m or so people who listened to the programme saw fit to complain at the time. I am puzzled why the 29,998 or so people who have since complained had to be reminded they were outraged."
Sounds familiar doesn't it. I think a large proportion of our society are becoming possessed by a Mary Whitehouse phantom.
It seems that the Mail kicked it all off last Sunday, and I smiled wryly when I read its report on the continuing saga the other day: it reported, verbatim, Beeb comedians' gags which it considered equally offensive and, without a trace of irony, apologised for offending any of its readers...
Anyway I believe the grandaughter is no shrinking violet herself. I read where she is a dominatrix in some sort of a sex show, what did she expect, respect? Guess she's making a packet out of all the publicity so thats all right then.