On Friday morning, hours after Lesley Douglas’s resignation, the controllers of all the BBC radio and television networks were called together, and asked to look carefully at everything they were broadcasting. “We’re all jumpy. We’ve not been told to change or become more conservative. But we are being encouraged to talk about any shows which…
A couple of news snippets on YouTube in which I comment on the ongoing crisis at the BBC.
The Borkowski poet in residence’s take on Jonathan Ross’ part in the scandal currently consuming the press. Vocal rights for this podcast have been subcontracted to EDF. Jonathan Ross is, Jonathan Ross is a sacrificial lamb for the BBC bosses he may be cheeky, sweary and slick a gold plated carrot on the end of…
The suspension of Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand by the BBC over their boorish and lewd phone call to Andrew Sachs is a definite case of the BBC finally sitting back and taking a look at their media stock after a week of keeping its collective head in the sand, Suspension is the equivalent to…
The hoo-ha over Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand’s pre-recorded assault on the answerphone of Andrew Sachs has spilled over into a debate in today’s Times about whether presenters will earn as much money in the predicted straitened times post credit crunch and the global impact of such anarchic behaviour in a more tight-fisted entertainment world….
If you are surrounded by the press, being bombarded by difficult questions about something you’ve done, something that you may or may not be ashamed of, but are definitely unwilling to talk about, there is a new model of zen-like avoidance technique, thanks to the ever-inventive Russell Brand. Click here to see Brand say absolutely nothing about his involvement…
Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand have sparked a lather of frothing outrage with their series of lewd messages on the answerphone of Andrew Sachs, who starred as Manuel in Fawlty Towers, detailing an alleged sexual liason between Brand and Sachs’ granddaughter Georgina Baille (click here to read the transcript). I feel some sympathy for Sachs and…
I had a busy but invigorating weekend at the Cheltenham Festival of Literature, promoting The Fame Formula on Saturday and discussing my favourite book with Sue McGregor and Terry Jones for BBC Radio 4’s A Good Read in the great stone wedding cake that is Cheltenham Town Hall. I was astonished at how busy it…
I literally couldn’t believe my ears when I heard Les Ross of BBC Radio Midlands interviewing (if that’s what you could call it) the writer and broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli. It was far more akin to an Alan Partridge sketch than a BBC radio interview. Les Ross began with an inane question about whether Hardeep…
I heard on the BBC news yesterday that the UK was one of countries with the highest cocaine use in the European Union, and that the United Nations drugs watchdog says the UK and other countries respond too leniently to the drug taking escapades of celebrities. President of the International Narcotics Control Board, Philip Emafo,…