RUSSELL BRAND - BBC INQUIRY SLAMS BRAND AND ROSS

BBC INQUIRY SLAMS BRAND AND ROSS

Comedian RUSSELL BRAND and British TV presenter JONATHAN ROSS' lewd phone calls to actor ANDREW SACHS were "grossly offensive" and "unjustifiable", according to an official probe by the BBC Trust.
Brand quit his BBC Radio 2 show after he and fellow broadcaster Ross were slammed for leaving voicemail messages on Fawlty Towers star Sachs' phone, in which they discussed Brand's fling with the 78-year-old's granddaughter Georgina Baillie.
Ross was subsequently suspended for three months, and now an investigation by the BBC Trust - the BBC's independent watchdog - has blasted the pair and promised harsh punishments for any repeat incidents.
BBC Trustee Richard Tait says, "It was a very offensive programme which should never have been recorded. Once the offensive phone call was made, the recording should have stopped and senior management alerted. It is a catalogue of editorial and management failures."