You want my opinion of this story? Andrew Sachs is cool.  Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand are so not cool.
It happened a fortnight ago, but it’s now in the news again because both Ross and Brand have been suspended from their jobs at the BBC pending an investigation, and Brand has now resigned. Both men have had the grace to apologise - Brand has yet to apologise personally to Andrew Sachs’ grand-daughter - but both have sunk very much lower in my estimation over this classless piece of crap.
Andrew Sachs, on the other hand, could not have been classier.  I’ve always loved him as an actor, and now I admire him even more, as a true gentleman.
At the end of the long interview which he granted to the press outside his house today (a piece of which is in the above link), he turned and said:
“Can I go now? I’d like to introduce myself to my dogs!”
He can’t even bring himself to be rude to the paparazzi, bless him.
I will never understand people like those two and American DJ Don Imus who ignore the fact that they are wounding human beings with their tasteless “comedy” routines. I’m glad they were suspended.
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I totally agree with you, Jay! Andrew Sachs is cool. Brand and Ross are dull. I hate all such practical jokes.
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A very poor imitation of humour, which Mr Sachs knows a thing or two about. They deserve any punishment coming their way…
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I said my bit on gemmak’s blog. At the time I felt I was totally out of step with everyone else but I’m glad to see I wasn’t.
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Manuel!!!!
Good to hear those two are being held accountable for their actions… perhaps they will use some common sense and courtesy from now on. I don’t know why people have to belittle others in the name of “entertainment”.
Disgusting.
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I was totally disgusted at what I heard. I’ve never really liked Johnathan Ross much, and I liked Russell Brand even less. So much so-called comedy now days relies on smut and shock value to get a laugh, not clever in my opinion, and mostly not very funny either.
It won’t damage Brand’s career at all, but maybe Johnathan Ross may suffer somewhat.
I felt so for Andrew Sachs. Fancy having to listen to all that about your grand-daughter?
Babs - beetles last blog post..To Meme or not to Meme?
For once we are in disagreement … I listened to the show, and maybe because I am not easliy offended, I did find the moment funny.
However, we are talking Radio 2, not a stand up routine in a comedy club, and that is Russel brand’s humour. If you don’t like it, thats ok, but thats what they knew they were putting on the air. Also, it was pre-recorded, so it’s not just Brand and Ross who are accountable… people knew what was going out on air.
If Andrew Sachs was offended, and he has every reason to be, the apologies must be given.
Brand has resigned, his choice, and Ross has apologised in person.
Far worse things happen, should all be forgotten now.
So, for the first time, I disagree with you, but thats cool, opinions are what makes things interesting x
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I have no idea who that guy is but a true gentleman is hard to find…rare at best
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I’m not familiar with these guys, but they sound a lot like “Opie and Anthony,” two radio hosts that got fired from multiple radio stations here in the US for their antics. They got canned in NYC for having a couple simulating having sex IN St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
Andrew Sachs. What a wonderful actor, though I will always know him first and foremost as “Manuel” from Fawlty Towers, of which I have the entire collection on DVD.
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Ruth - I don’t know Don Imus, but if his brand of humour is anything like these two, then I don’t think I want to know him.
Daphne - Me too. I’ve never been fond of practical jokes when they aim to ridicule or hurt someone.
Silverback - Somehow I missed that, but I’ve popped over and added my tuppence-worth now!
Maureen - Perhaps. I heard Russell Brand’s lengthy and rambling apology, and it does seem as if he accepts that what he did was wrong and is suitably embarrassed by it. As Andrew Sachs said, we can only hope his career will take a better direction now.
Babs - You know, I don’t even mind smut and shock value (though I prefer something more cerebral myself) but this almost took the form of bullying - a personal attack. And it was cowardly. Neither would have done it if the phone had been picked up, and Brand has admitted that the reason he hasn’t apologised to Georgina is that he’s embarrassed.
Schoolboy behaviour, of the worst kind.
Moon - Ah - a dissenter in the ranks!
I’m not that easily offended, though we all have our limits. It’s not the type of humour I object to - if I don’t like it, I’ll switch off. No problem. But this was not just a radio programme, it crossed the line into personal territory by the fact that they used his private phone to involve him, and the messages they left were obviously very upsetting to hear.
That’s alright - as you say, it’s cool to differ. And I agree that the producers are also accountable. One even rang Andrew Sachs and asked him if he was OK with what had been said and he said no, but they still aired it. Personally, I’d have been livid.
Meleah - Andrew Sachs is the actor who played ‘Manuel’ in Fawlty Towers. I think that is his most famous role, but in fact he is a versatile actor who you wouldn’t recognise in another role if he didn’t want you to.
Mr N - I don’t know Opie and Anthony, either. Probably a good thing.
I loved Fawlty Towers. Such a perfect piece of comedy - script, casting, acting, everything. A pity they didn’t make more, but you have to admire them for stopping before it got stale.
It just shows you how low people will sink just to get a laugh - looks like it has backfired on them this time!
Clearly I don’t know the people you’re talking about (except Sachs) but it does sound tasteless. I’ve never liked humour dished out at someone else’s expense.
I sometimes wonder what these people are on when they do things like this - it’s not ‘normal’ behaviour is it? Or is it?
Taffy’s Mum - And it’s still backfiring. Now the top echelon of the Beeb is in emergency meetings trying to work out how to defuse the situation. Thirty thousand official complaints so far, and rising. When you consider that most people don’t bother to ring or email to complain (I haven’t, have you?) the true number of outraged people is clearly far higher.
Baino - Tasteless it is. Realistically ALL humour has someone or something as its target, but when it gets sadistic or vicious, then to my mind, it’s crossed the line.
Kate - Me too. I think they just get carried away by their own sense of self-importance and infallibility. And no, it’s not normal behaviour … but it will become the norm unless we stop people from going too far, too often.
**it’s not normal behaviour … but it will become the norm unless we stop people from going too far, too often.**
Jay, that’s exactly what concerns me. So much of what was once considered ‘bad taste’ is now acceptable and the norm. I’m certainly not a prude, and as you say, I can switch off. A personal attack like that is definitely going too far!
Babs - beetles last blog post..To Meme or not to Meme?
Thank you for comment on my blog. Your have several interesting and clever O photos. Thanks for sharing.
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This is the first I’ve heard of any of this (I try to avoid all the news) and the only one of them I know at all is Andrew Sachs, from watching those too few Fawlty Towers episodes just as often as PBS will show them. (”Que?!”) I’ve seen also the show they made about FT, in which cast members are interviewed, including Sachs. From what I’ve seen, I’m not at all surprised that he is the most gracious participant in this incident.
“Can I go now? I’d like to introduce myself to my dogs!â€
Priceless.
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ooooooooooh.
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I just googled him.
I fully expected to see a good looking and preferably half-naked man.
Alas, he’s 78! Well, he still looks pretty good, for his age.
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I could not link saw a blurb on Tv. Exactly what happened??sk
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Babs - That’s exactly what concerns me. It seems we are rapidly dropping to the lowest common denominator when it comes to national behaviour.
Chryssim - Hi! You’ve left this comment on the wrong post, I think, and I can’t move it easily. But thank you!
A Decker - There are two recordings on the page I linked to in post above. One is of an interview with Andrew Sachs where he talks about his boyhood. I think it shows what kind of man he is.
He might be German by birth and origin but he is now very much a typical English gentleman.
RMH - No, you wouldn’t recognise Andrew Sachs in a crowd, I think, but he’s very sweet and likeable and also very talented.
Sandy - Sorry, does the BBC link not work for you? Try
this one.
Basically, they sent a series of messages (at least four, after which I stopped listening) to Andrew Sachs’ answerphone which were sexually explicit, humiliating, made comments about his grand-daughter and her sex-life, and suggested he might kill himself as a result.
Supporters claim that their humour only appeals to the young so those who were shocked or offended are clearly too old to understand and that Brand and Ross were just being ’silly boys’. However, Brand is in his thirties, and Ross in his forties. Hardly boys at all and old enough to know better.
Hi Jay, it’s lovely to have the time to pop in to your blog again. Have been away from home a lot since returning from my Scottish holiday, helping out in the family (sickness) and looking after two small grandsons day and night and am only back home two days a week to recouperate (SLEEP!)and access my computer. Have hardly watched telly at all these past weeks and have missed this thing with Ross and Brand completely! Going to spend the next hour or so catching up with the world with BBC online, before dashing off to resume my Granny duties for another 5 days or so.
I hope your dogs are well. (Have missed reading about their little antics! Bless them).
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Lol…I think we have ‘been there’! ;o)
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I have to admit, I’d never heard of Andrew Sachs before that story, and only knew of Russell Brand from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and the VH1 Awards (which I did NOT watch!)
He sounds like a classy gent, all right.
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Could not agree with you more. Andrew Sachs could teach them a thing or two about humour.
For an actor who had very few lines in the `Fawlty Towers’ series, he really captured our imagination.
And then we expect young people to act like adults when adults are so irresponsible! Especially those with high
visibility!
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Geri - Hi Geri! Nice to see you back! Yes, the dogs are fine! Did you see the video of The Pirate running? You should go back and find that when you have time!
Gemma - Yep, I think we have!
JD - This was the first I’d heard of Russell Brand. I have to admire his prompt apology if nothing else. However, I don’t think I’ll be looking up ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ unless you assure me it’s worth it?
David McMahon - He did, didn’t he? There are suggestions that that’s why some people are outraged. They think we see it as poor ‘Manuel’ being bullied yet again. I think people are outraged because it was a piece of atrocious behaviour.
Petra - You are so right. Teaching by example is very important, and works very well. Those in positions of high visibility, as you say, have more of an effect on the susceptible and easily led. Such a shame.
Sorry to jump tracks, but I really love the photo you’ve included with this entry, Jay. It’s stunning, and weighty at the same time.
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Aussie - Thank you! The sky actually looked better than that, but it’s a snap I took through the car window while travelling so It’s amazing it turned out as well as it did!
Weighty and glowering was what I was going for, to illustrate how I felt about this whole thing.
I agree. Andrew Sachs was very gracious.
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