Brand and Ross-sack them

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), Oct 28, 2008

PRESSURE is mounting for the BBC to act over Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand's spiteful phone calls to veteran actor Andrew Sachs.

The corporation has already apologised to Fawlty Towers star Mr Sachs after the pair left answerphone messages saying Brand had slept with his granddaughter, 23-year-old Georgina Baillie, an aspiring model.

The presenters also joked the actor might kill himself as a result. Ross, 47, has since issued a personal apology, with Brand, 33, following suit.

The BBC has so far received more than 1,500 complaints, including phone calls and emails, and there have been several calls for the pair to taken off air or sacked.

Media watch-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.

Director John Beyer said: "I think the BBC should look at the possibility of putting other presenters on air while it conducts this investigation."

Former shadow home secretary David Davies also called for the pair to be sacked.

While former BBC deputy director general Will Wyatt said "someone should take some pain" for what had happened.

He said: "It was completely inappropriate. It is like a couple of drunken teenagers in a phone box trying to rag one of their chums.

"But actually this was broadcast over a licence fee paid for network."

CAPTION(S):

FURY: Russell Brand and right, Jonathan Ross and much-loved actor Andrew Sachs