Tuesday 28 October 2008

The Ross/Brand Defence

1. It was funny.
2. Sachs deserved it for playing a racist character.
3. The girl's a bit..you know...
4. The campaign is led by the Mail, which proves that the complaints are invalid.
5. Why are we talking about this when there is genocide in x y or z place?



Not saying I agree with any of the above points (especially No.1) but I've just read them all over at The Grauniad's comment piece about it (which is actually quite good).


I did laugh when I read No2 as a defence. I had to read a few more comments than I was expecting to get to it, but it was worth it.

7 comments:

Matt M said...

Why are so many people (and certain newspapers) claiming to be offended by this? There are certainly questions over the appropriateness of making the call while on air, but otherwise surely it's just between the presenters and Andrew and Georgina Sachs.

It was just the top item on the Six O'Clock BBC News, ffs.

Bill Haydon said...

Well, yes, agreed, up to a point.

I do think it is utterly appalling, and the whole notion of any kind of comedy being predicated upon bullying rather sickening.

Surely, Matt, as a man of impeccable decency, you wouldn't defend making calls to people's answerphones as a method of comedy?

Matt M said...

While I hate to defile your otherwise pristine blog with crude language, Brand and Ross acted like right knobheads. The BBC should be asking serious questions about their actions and looking to take appropriate measures. A proper apology, from all involved, should be issued to the Sachs family.

But statements made by the PM and Leader of the Opposition? Headline news? 10,000 complaints? Is this seriously one of the most important news stories at the moment? The massive over-reaction actually annoys me far more than the idiocy and crudeness of the two. The way the press are treating this is just infantile.

Bill Haydon said...

Well, yes, I don't think the PM should have stuck his oar in. It has gone overboard a bit, but the escalation of the story in the media yesterday and today was partly driven by the BBC's somewhat blatant attempts on R5L to defend itself - and just escalating the row in the process.

I think there's another issue at stake: the acceptability of this whole genre of bullying comedy. Do we want it, or not?

Mind you, as you've subtly pointed out in your comment, I can hardly speak about writing vile things in appalling language for all to see....

Matt M said...

It wasn't meant as a rebuke. It was a joke that, irony of ironies, turned out not to be that funny.

Do we want it, or not?

Given that Brand's show gets millions of viewers, apparently so. Ross doesn't do too badly either. If the BBC does decide to get rid of them they'll soon be snapped up by one of the other broadcasters.

They're around to stay, I'm afraid.

Bill Haydon said...

I know it was, Matt!! I was joshing along with you at my own expense.

But it shows how hard this writing lark is to get right, doesn't it?

Agree with you on R&B. I think they will be around for years unless we can persuade Jacqui Smith to put forward a "Bill for the Prevention of Twats".

Mind you I probably shouldn't joke about that either...

Matt M said...

It's the fact that so much is conveyed non-verbally... erm... non-writtenly?... no that's not right.

I think comment sections should allow you to choose the background colour in order to convey the spirit the comment was made in. Red for angry, blue for calm... that sort of thing. Not sure what colour light-hearted would be though. Yellow polka dot?