Ross and Brand 'should face the sack'Ross and Brand 'should face the sack'
TV PRESENTER Jonathan Ross and comedian Russell Brand faced calls for their sacking yesterday as the BBC moved to defuse the row over their abusive phone calls to the Fawlty 
Last night the broadcaster had received more than 1,500 complaints. A BBC spokesman apologised yesterday to Sachs, who played the Spanish waiter Manuel in the classic comedy series, for the "unacceptable and offensive" comments.
Sachs last night said he had received a personal letter of apology from Ross.
He said: "People ask me if I'm angry, well, yes, but not half as angry as Georgina. That's where the apology should be directed. I wasn't attacked in any way.
"People are writing and talking about it, quite rightly. I am sorry that I am involved in it – I'm just fed up talking about it. I love the BBC, I have worked for them for over 50 years and I continue to work for them. Sometimes things can go wrong."
However, MediaWatch, the "TV decency" campaign group, called for an inquiry into whether Brand and Ross should lose their jobs following the broadcast between 9pm and 11pm on Saturday, 18 October.
PR experts called on the pair to make a full on-air apology, suggesting Ross should give a week's wages from his £6 million salary to charity.
The calls to Sachs' phone were broadcast on Brand's weekly Radio 2 programme. Ross, the BBC's highest-paid presenter, was the guest host.
When Sachs failed to pick up the telephone, Ross shouted "he (had sexual relations with] your granddaughter".
Over three calls to the answering machine, the pair said Sachs probably had a picture of his grandchildren by the phone.
They called back to "apologise" in verse. Brand sang: "I said some things I didn't of oughta, like I had sex with your granddaughter..."
Mediawatch director John Beyer said: "I think the BBC should look at the possibility of putting other presenters on air while it conducts this investigation to reassure the public it is taking the matter seriously."
Mr Beyer said he had received several calls from people who were angry about the incident. "People strongly object to licence fee payers' money being used to fund these sorts of immature pranks."
The BBC said it had written to Mr Sachs to "sincerely apologise" for the calls. His agent, Meg Poole, confirmed she had received a "perfectly nice apology". for the "upsetting" calls.
The PR guru Max Clifford said: "They should say, 'We thought it was funny, we realised we went too far, it seemed funny at the time but we are genuinely sorry'.
Speaking near his house in Hampstead, north London yesterday, Brand was asked if he regretted making the prank calls.
He said jokingly: "What is your name? I'm sorry, I'm confused now, I can't go on."
Brand was later seen talking on his mobile phone and refused to answer reporters' questions as he entered his house.
The show's obscene calls
THIS is an edited transcript of the calls made by Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand.
Russell Brand (RB): "This is Andrew Sachs's answerphone. Well, this is unconventional."
Jonathan Ross (JR): "Don't worry, I'll blurt something out."
Andrew Sachs's answerphone: "Sorry I can't answer at the moment, but please call again or leave a message."
RB: "Hello, Andrew Sachs, this is Russell Brand.You're meant to be on my show now, mate. I'm here with Jonathan Ross."
JR: "Hello, Andrew…"
RB: "That's Jonathan Ross speaking now. We can still do the interview to his answerphone…"
JR: "He (had sexual relations with] your granddaughter! I'm sorry, Andrew. I got excited. It just came out."
RB: "Andrew Sachs, I did not do nothing with Georgina – oh no, I've revealed I know her name! Oh no, it's a disaster. Abort, abort. Code red, code red. I'm sorry, Mr Fawlty, I'm sorry."
JR:
"If he's like most people of a certain age he's probably got a picture of his grandchildren when they're young right by the phone. So while he's listening to the messages he's looking at a picture of her about nine on a swing."
RB: "She was on a swing when I met her. Oh no!
Let's ring back. What if he answers this time?"
The answerphone message comes on again.
RB: "Andrew, this is Russell Brand. I'm so sorry about the last message. It was a mistake."
JR: "It was just a joke. If there is any truth in that, I don't know."
RB: "It was just a joke that we done. I didn't ask him to say it."
JR: "It might be true, but we didn't want to break it to you in such a harsh way."
RB: "OK, look the truth is, Andrew I'm ringing you to ask if I can marry, that's right, marry your granddaughter."
JR: "And I'd like to be a page boy."
RB: "No, I'm sorry I'll do anything. I wore a condom. Put the phone down. Oh, what's going to happen?
Jonathan, I think we've made the situation worse."
JR: "Our intentions were pure."
RB: "You know the only way we can make this better, don't you?"
JR: "Let's phone him again. Let's leave a nice message.
What should we not mention, the war?"
RB: "Don't mention the war, don't mention his granddaughter. We'll just sing to him. I'll make up something as I go along."
The message comes on again.
JR (as the message plays): "She was bent over the couch…"
RB (singing): "I'd like to apologise for these terrible attacks – Andrew Sachs. I'd like to show contrition to the max, Andrew Sachs.
"I'd like to create world peace, between the yellow, whites and blacks, Andrew Sachs.
"I said some things I didn't of oughta, like I had sex with your granddaughter…"
"But it was consensual …"
JR: "This has made it worse. I feel it's made it worse, You've trivialised the whole terrible incident."
RB: "What can we do?"
JR: "Let's use up the rest of his tape, this time with a heartfelt and sincere apology."
RB: "Yes, you're right Jonathan, you're right. Only by doing the exact thing that we've done three times already can we make the situation better."
JR: "Just say sorry."
RB: "Sorry, right."
Read the full transcript here
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