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Feeding Frenzy
Coming back from Luton airport the other week, Theresa switched on the radio – as is her wont – to Radio 2 where, to a certain degree of horror on my part, we found ourselves catching the last half of Russell Brand’s radio show.
It was, naturally, the now infamous one with Jonathan Ross and the prank calls to Andrew Sachs. And at the time I thought (as I usually do of most of their material to be frank) that it was juvenile, puerile and that the whole thing was a bad bad idea.
Frankly I was embarrassed listening to it and felt really rather bad for Andrew Sachs.
But I can’t help but feel that the events unfolding over the last week were somewhat of an overreaction. Needless to say, the Daily Hate Mail led the charge, gleeful as ever to have a stick to beat the BBC, and Jonathan Ross, with. And it succeeded in whipping up the complaints from a mere couple after the show aired (which I’m genuinely surprised by – I would have expected more) up into the tens of thousands.
And I feel a little bit uncomfortable about that. If it hadn?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t been for all of this it might have had the chance to peter out with dignified apologies and no carping and sanctimonious speeches and editorials, no villagers wielding torches and so on.
Sachs was owed an apology, now received (although why it should be our business to know this I have no idea – Ross at least tried to personally deliver his apology and gift privately) and I do think they should be rapped over the knuckles over the whole thing. But I absolutely hate seeing the BBC got at by the mosquitos of the tabloid press like this as if they are the arbiters of what is right and wrong.
I mean… the vacuous and borderline immoral shite that the free presses peddle is beyond belief and yet they get away with it time after time without censure.
Ultimately the only person out of this who has come out of it with any dignity is Sachs himself who, it is telling, was only after an apology.
His granddaughter on the other hand… I must say I’ve rather taken against. Anyone who uses the word “justice” to mean “I got my revenge” is as far as I’m concerned easily as bad as the Middle Englanders whose outcry inflated this whole affair.
Although seeing the Mail take up arms alongside a self confessed Satanic Slut has been deeply amusing.
I’m pleased Brand resigned in a way, though. Not so much because I can’t stand his work (and I really can’t) but because he has done the right thing.
And I hope that a good many politicians take note.
Posted on October 30, 2008 | Filed Under Film, TV, Theatre, The World we Live In
Comments
Response left by Bobbie on October 30th, 2008
More amusingly, it seems Ms Baillie’s privacy isn’t that important to her after all…She’s now got a deal with Max Clifford and the Sun, apparently.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/30/rewriting_history_cached/
http://heresycorner.blogspot.com/2008/10/shooting-past.html
As I say, it’s not so much the need for them to be punished I object to – they clearly should be – but more the “hunt in full cry” of the “outraged of Tonbridge” brigade.
There’s nothing more unpleasant than the middle classes when their righteous indignation is in full flow.
Response left by Rob on October 30th, 2008
Got something to say?
I am so glad you have written this. I am as we speak emailing your point to some friends. I said something very similiar myself and I thought I would have to run from all the finger pointing and shreeks when I was told what they have done is very wrong and they should be punished etc. I agree, they should be. And as you say, they have appreared to do the right thing. Im just not sure I need to know about it.