I subscribe to Russell Brand's generally excellent podcast and I can understand the criticism of the content of the show broadcast on Saturday 18th October. To leave four messages in the manner he did on Andrew Sachs's answer phone doesn't represent a programme which, although often samey, is witty and most importantly doesn't take itself too seriously. It's better than Chris Moyles's crew laughing inanely at anything he says anyway.
Sachs has said he is "very upset" by the comments made by the pair in relation to Brand having slept with Sachs's granddaughter Georgina Baillie. Brand's guest co-presenter, Jonathan Ross, blurted out: "He f***ed your granddaughter." A partial transcript of the segment and a timeline of events since can be seen here. Brand often sails close to the wind, and has overstepped the mark here but he is on post-watershed and there are warnings at the start of every show saying: "This programme contains adult material." That's no excuse, but the content isn't for everyone.
However, the presenters should not be vilified in the way they have been, especially in the last two days where the story has exploded all over the press, even Gordon Brown has passed comment. Surely some of the blame must be laid at the producers who let the segment in the show go to air and be a part of the podcast, despite it being a pre-recorded show. The language and content were likely to offend even loyal fans.
The media also need to take some responsibility for the story's coverage yesterday and today. The story was reported in the Sunday papers this week with only two complaints lodged after the show had been available for download for a week, both of which were for Ross swearing. But since then, there have been 10,000 complaints received by the BBC in two days. I'm not suggesting that the story shouldn't have been run, far from it, but the investigation by OFCOM has only arisen because the story has been brought to the public attention.
Hopefully no heads roll for this, especially Ross and Brand as has been suggested by some, because they entertain millions every week and although what they have said shouldn't have been, neither should it have been broadcast. Fellow comedian Alexander Armstrong has got it about right, saying people "shouldn't be too quick to condemn".
