THE BBC today apologised to veteran actor Andrew Sachs for the “unacceptable and offensive†content of calls made to him by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross during a radio show.
Ross, 47, was on 33-year-old Brand’s Radio 2 show where Andrew — Fawlty Towers star Manuel — was due to also take part on the phone.
Brand told his listeners: “In a minute we’re going to be talking to Andrew Sachs. The elephant in the room is, what Andrew doesn’t know is, I’ve slept with his granddaughter.â€
Apologise
It was a reference to model Georgina Baillie, 23, who auditioned to be a Page Three girl in 2005.
When Andrew, 78, failed to pick up the phone, Brand and Ross left a crude message on his answerphone. Ross shouted: “He’s f***ed your granddaughter†before joking that the comedian had “enjoyed her on a swingâ€.
The pair left three more messages — with Brand saying in one: “I wore a condom.â€
Then Ross sang: “Your granddaughter, she was bent over the couch.†They then joked that Andrew might “commit suicideâ€. Andrew was yesterday “deeply upset and terribly hurt†by the slurs. Georgina was said to be “mortifiedâ€.
Crime expert and ex-Flying Squad chief John O’Connor yesterday said the “jokes†were “criminalâ€.
Andrew's agent Meg Poole said that she had emailed and written to the BBC to formally complain.
Brand delivered a light-hearted apology over the calls on his latest radio show, aware that a Sunday newspaper was preparing a story about the previous week’s events.
He said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to issue a personal Russell Brand apology to Andrew Sachs, the great comic actor who played Manuel, for a message that Jonathan and I left on his answer phone, but it was quite funny.
“But! Sometimes, you mustn’t swear on someone’s answerphone and that’s why I’d like to apologise personally.â€
He also smirkingly apologised when he appeared on Chris Moyles' Radio 1 show last week, blaming Jonathan Ross for any offence caused: "I phoned up Andrew Sachs to apologise for a matter live on radio, and Jonathan Ross blurted out an expletive regarding Andrew Sach's grand-daughter, who I'd, in inverted commas, recently met. I met her brains out!"
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And a BBC spokeswoman later said: “We have received a letter of a complaint from Mr Sachs’ agent and would like to sincerely apologise to Mr Sachs for the offence caused.
“We recognise that some of the content broadcast was unacceptable and offensive.
“We are reviewing how this came about and are responding to Mr Sachs personally.
“We also apologise to listeners for any offence caused.â€
