Sacking call over Ross radio 'joke'

Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), Oct 28, 2008

PRESSURE was mounting today for the BBC to take further action over offensive calls made by Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand to veteran actor Andrew Sachs.

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

The presenters also joked that 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.