I speak as someone who's seen Russell Brand's stand-up show but hasn't listened to his radio show, btw. He's no stranger to controversy, let's be honest - presume part of the strategy of hiring him was to bring some of this "oh wow, whatever will he do next, that "edgy" and "controversial" comedian that we have employed?". But, as has been pointed out ad nauseam, it was Ross that ended up being the idiotic ringmaster of the piece.
― ailsa, Friday, 31 October 2008 09:34 (fifteen years ago) link
this prank wasn't "edgy" and i am going to scream if i see it referred to as such again
― lex pretend, Friday, 31 October 2008 09:36 (fifteen years ago) link
Lex, I think it's a bit pointless trying to explain to you why some people found it funny. Sometimes explaining a joke destroys it, and when it was as flimsy and personality driven as the one Ross and Brand did then it's even more so. As you said elsewhere all comedians are scum.
― Billy Dods, Friday, 31 October 2008 09:37 (fifteen years ago) link
(x-post)
Don't you even have a shred of empathy for the improvised song?
Just because it shouldn't have been broadcast, doesn't mean it wasn't funny.
― Bob Six, Friday, 31 October 2008 09:46 (fifteen years ago) link
i put edgy in scare quotes for a reason. but whatever.
― ailsa, Friday, 31 October 2008 09:46 (fifteen years ago) link
Dunno if it's possible to feel empathy for an improvised song.
This may just be the envy talking tho.
― cold and super-rational with anger (Raw Patrick), Friday, 31 October 2008 09:48 (fifteen years ago) link
"it was funny" is not a valid response to "why was it funny?"
― lex pretend, Friday, 31 October 2008 09:50 (fifteen years ago) link
Analysing why things that make you laugh make you laugh is one of the most soul-destroying things in the world. Funny = it makes you laugh. Sometimes it's just as simple as that.
― ailsa, Friday, 31 October 2008 09:51 (fifteen years ago) link
has anybody made the 'they've been put on the Sachs' offenders register' joke yet?
― Pete W, Friday, 31 October 2008 09:52 (fifteen years ago) link
Jay-X
sorry, laffed.
hi-fives Pete w.
― Mark G, Friday, 31 October 2008 09:57 (fifteen years ago) link
ha, see, that's funny
xpost
― ailsa, Friday, 31 October 2008 09:57 (fifteen years ago) link
A few reasons why people may have found it funny, the disconnect between the polite answering machine reply and the presenters vulgarity, the banter between Ross and Brand, the urge to push the envelope and better each others remarks. Not very big or clever, and definitely not the smartest thing they've ever done but in context still quite amusing, though understandably not to everyone's taste.
― Billy Dods, Friday, 31 October 2008 10:00 (fifteen years ago) link
How did Victor Lewis-Smith get away with it for all those years?
Oh yes - he's not a Celebrity and it wouldn't have made a Good Story.
― Do they mean us? They surely do! It's Ray Conniff! (Marcello Carlin), Friday, 31 October 2008 10:10 (fifteen years ago) link
I note that R2 kept Johnnie Walker on full pay after the NOTW cocaine sting.
But then presumably JW doesn't cost £16,000 per day.
― Do they mean us? They surely do! It's Ray Conniff! (Marcello Carlin), Friday, 31 October 2008 10:11 (fifteen years ago) link
I was thinking of VicLewSmith, particulalrly his call to Hughie Green where he basically accused him of being a paedo wrt LenZav.
He died a week later, HGreen that is.
The Daily Mail were not outraged.
― Mark G, Friday, 31 October 2008 10:12 (fifteen years ago) link
yeah actually VLS did a lot worse, someone subtly send a reminder to the tabloids.
― Ant Attack.. (Ste), Friday, 31 October 2008 10:14 (fifteen years ago) link
i agree with LJ CAN WE PLEASE JUST STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS NOW
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 31 October 2008 10:19 (fifteen years ago) link
The worst thing about this will be the punchlines on Strictly Come Dancing. The second that Arlene Phillips attempts to compare John Sergeant's foxtrot to the contents of Andrew Sachs' answering machine, everyone's gonna be passing over this in silence.
― William Bloody Swygart, Friday, 31 October 2008 10:35 (fifteen years ago) link
the Lex is 100% correct.
It is bad that the behaviour of wankers is being used (cynically etc no doubt) as a reason to attack THE BBC which is a different and noble thing. JR&RB do not represent The BBC, which is one of the world's greatest institutions. They are just wankers whom it has paid too much to be wankers.
― the pinefox, Friday, 31 October 2008 10:37 (fifteen years ago) link
You seem a little obsessed with the BBC.
― Bob Six, Friday, 31 October 2008 10:47 (fifteen years ago) link
He's still waiting for his Newsnight Review audition.
― Do they mean us? They surely do! It's Ray Conniff! (Marcello Carlin), Friday, 31 October 2008 10:47 (fifteen years ago) link
The idea of public broadcasting is complete anathema to these bastards
er, yeh, but it seems to have been to large parts of the BBC for some years now as well. interminable reality shows? "rolling" news without an iota of thought behind it? a once-mighty flagship morning radio programme reduced to arseholes like humphrys on a constant one-upmanship mission? BBC fucking 3?
that said: my loathing of the corporation ("noble"? good god, i've just seen that comment in the xpost warning; i nearly choked) is well documented elsewhere round these parts, and this isn't the time or place for it. sorry. and the existence of BBC4 does go a long way to making up for the above.
the one thing i will say: tracer, way upthread you ask: "why is the producer still in a job?" well: because the qualitative difference between this show and what the BBC spews out elsewhere so much of the time is actually pretty small, and i don't think it's at all reasonable to say of one over-promoted 25-year-old: "dude, you should have realised the point at which this shit crossed the line!" is every producer meant to be able to extrapolate out the outcome of every show solely in terms of how much it will annoy the daily mail?
i appreciate i sound like some grumpy old bastard who wants a return to reithian values ... that's probably because i am. however, my loathing for the bbc will be eclipsed by my white-hot hatred of the daily mail for as long as the two co-exist, so hey.
― remorseful prober (grimly fiendish), Friday, 31 October 2008 10:51 (fifteen years ago) link
They are just wankers whom it has paid too much to be wankers
i mean, for god's sake, pinefox: if someone offered you squillions of £££ just to sit and be lazy on the radio, who's at fault: you for going: "ok, nice one!" or the dicksplashes who allowed public-service broadcasting to come to this?
― remorseful prober (grimly fiendish), Friday, 31 October 2008 10:53 (fifteen years ago) link
is every producer meant to be able to extrapolate out the outcome of every show solely in terms of how much it will annoy the daily mail?
well the answer to this is clearly yes. this ain't a fuckin disco.
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 31 October 2008 10:55 (fifteen years ago) link
i don't even know what that last sentence means.
well the answer to this is clearly yes
yew wot?
― remorseful prober (grimly fiendish), Friday, 31 October 2008 10:56 (fifteen years ago) link
Do they audition Newsnight Review? Candace Bushnell seemed to have trouble stringing a coherent sentence together last week.
― Bob Six, Friday, 31 October 2008 10:58 (fifteen years ago) link
I remember Momus saying something about being asked to come on NR and he would have had to turn up and do an audition in front of camera. He never took it any further though.
As for Thompson, he's clearly so far up the Mail's arse that he could be their prop forward next season.
So I predict a menu of cautious, bland, tiptoeing radio.
Nobody will listen to it but then nobody will be offended either.
― Do they mean us? They surely do! It's Ray Conniff! (Marcello Carlin), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:01 (fifteen years ago) link
The Mail have moved on...http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1081966/Even-Russell-Brand-row-raged-BBC-comedians-insulting-Queen.html
― A country only rich people know (Ned Trifle II), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:02 (fifteen years ago) link
xpost well, i'll manage the unusual trick of not listening and being constantly offended by the continued existence of the BBC in its current form ;)
i'm not clicking fucking daily mail links, btw. as someone sagely pointed out upthread: these page impressions matter to the cunts.
― remorseful prober (grimly fiendish), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:03 (fifteen years ago) link
Surprised no one's thought about reissuing Noosha Fox's 1977 single "Georgina Bailey" yet.
― Do they mean us? They surely do! It's Ray Conniff! (Marcello Carlin), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:05 (fifteen years ago) link
And as someone said upthread you only have to read the url to get the gist.
― A country only rich people know (Ned Trifle II), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:05 (fifteen years ago) link
xp
― A country only rich people know (Ned Trifle II), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:06 (fifteen years ago) link
but you can also say "is every comedian (or whatever passes as a comedian these days) meant to be able to extrapolate out the outcome of every tasteless gag solely in terms of how much it will annoy the daily mail?"
― Fake Tuomas (ken c), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:06 (fifteen years ago) link
It's disgusting the way the Daily Mail has allowed that joke to be aired.
Just so their readers can go "ha ha ha SHAME!!!"
― Mark G, Friday, 31 October 2008 11:08 (fifteen years ago) link
zomg xposts re: that daily mail link
― Fake Tuomas (ken c), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:08 (fifteen years ago) link
That being the joke from Mock The Week that Emily Maitlis quoted in her interview with Mark Thomson on Newsnight last night. Well done The Mail!
― William Bloody Swygart, Friday, 31 October 2008 11:08 (fifteen years ago) link
grimly, i mean YES - EVERYONE from mark thompson on down has said "this was an open and shut case - it oversteps the mark by miles - there's not even a discussion as far as we're concerned" .. which most people agree with. if that's the case, why did the producer OK it, and the compliance people ditto??
ken you could say that but it's not the comedians' job to think that way - it's the producer's job and the compliance people's job
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 31 October 2008 11:09 (fifteen years ago) link
i think everyone should share a bit of blame
― Fake Tuomas (ken c), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:11 (fifteen years ago) link
i'll take some of it
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 31 October 2008 11:12 (fifteen years ago) link
as long as the bbc suspends me with pay
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 31 October 2008 11:13 (fifteen years ago) link
The Emily Maitlis interview where she'd been blatantly briefed to appear extra tough because she was interviewing the Boss.
bbc on bbc action.
― Bob Six, Friday, 31 October 2008 11:13 (fifteen years ago) link
you should resign tracer
― Fake Tuomas (ken c), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:14 (fifteen years ago) link
has anyone actually been sacked?
― Fake Tuomas (ken c), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:15 (fifteen years ago) link
Ramos
― Do they mean us? They surely do! It's Ray Conniff! (Marcello Carlin), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:15 (fifteen years ago) link
harry redknapp's film 2008
― Fake Tuomas (ken c), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:16 (fifteen years ago) link
I may be old. But I pay my licence fee.
I will be at the Cenotaph again this year. Will these treacherous insulting comedians be there?
People who insult the Queen should be sent to the tower.
- RAJ, Pontefract, 31/10/2008 07:58
― Glans Christian Christian christian Christian Andersen (MPx4A), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:16 (fifteen years ago) link
truthbomb
― Fake Tuomas (ken c), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:17 (fifteen years ago) link
i was stunned to hear that last night, Bob - i thought for a second that the audio had been hijacked - here's thompson giving an answer, the camera is close on him and maitlis not even in the shot. as he's talking, responding to a question about where you draw the line in questions of taste, maitlis says, interrupting - off-camera, mind - and this is how she BEGAN her sentence "I'm so old my pussy is haunted" and only THEN added "those were words to describe the monarch!"
i about lost my shit
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 31 October 2008 11:17 (fifteen years ago) link
What did Mollie Sugden have to say on the matter?
― Do they mean us? They surely do! It's Ray Conniff! (Marcello Carlin), Friday, 31 October 2008 11:20 (fifteen years ago) link