It sounds to me as though, aware of just how brilliant and daring and edgy and dangerous Russell "Terrier" Brand is (well, that's what it says here), the BBC built a moderation stage into the process by pre-recording the shows, just in case. But it seems that the moderator - that'd be the "high-level executive" who's reported to have green-lighted the broadcast of the segment - ballsed up royally.

What I don't understand, given the delay between recording and broadcast, is why they didn't get the broadcast of the calls cleared unambiguously with Andrew Sachs. He said yesterday that he did get one call on his mobile - over a bad connection - and, among the confusion, said that he'd much prefer to go into the studio the following week rather than have the voicemail messages broadcast, but that was the last he heard from them until all hell broke loose.

... Brand & Ross are employees who need to be managed.

Instead management/executives have abdicated their responsibilty and have let these celebrities run loose. [Probably frightened to death in case their judgement would be considered "censorship"].

This might've be fine if we weren't talking about amazingly immature people of arrested development.

"Surely this can't be because the talent are happy to take their big fees but can't be bothered to turn up on Saturday night?"

That's one thing that is so remarkable about all this. The pre recording of shows is taken as a given. In Russell Brand's case probably with good reason and in this case the management have gone awol by letting this travesty get out of hand.

However right now what I think is more interesting is the way the herd mentality has turned to crucify Brand and Ross. It makes me uncomfortable when the mob takes control.

Its Jade Goody all over again. Ridiculous.

Ate my hamster.

Jonathan Ross. Milk snatcher.

Ridiculous!

of The Word (the magazine)? It confuses me a bit especially as Mr H posts under his own name.

What really worries me here is what this means for the license fee, and what will happen to all the genuinely good stuff that the BBC produces.
It’s clear that much of the press and many politicos dislike the BBC for their own dodgy reasons, they’d more than happily bring the license to an end. And the fact that the BBC on occasion acts like this gives them plenty of ammo. It’s depressing that the BBC on its mainstream radio and TV channels spends so much time chasing ratings with crud like this, but what will happen to the good stuff: Radio 4, World Service, the websites and by the sound of it BBC4 and others.
Sorry to sound like an old fogey, but this is stuff to be genuinely proud of – where else can you find anything like it? Certainly not on national TV and radio here in Spain for example. Fox? Sky?
Elements of the BBC have been seriously at fault here: paying such absurd salaries, encouraging ratings and publicity grabbing behaviour, lack of control, lack of management etc. And they’re playing with the future of the organisation. World service producers, BBC4 programmers etc. must be seriously worried about their futures. And so should veryone.

Brand & Ross' shows have both been suspended by the BBC while the prank call situation is investigated.

Tossers with Southern accents, speech impediments and no sense of judgement - out with them, I say! (And no, that's a long-time personal view, not joining a recently formed herd)

it's almost worth going to court over refusal to pay my licence fee!

I would hope that the "herd" are just finally getting sick of that smug twat Ross and his very public mid-life crisis.
I mean if you were at work and spoke to a female colleague as he does to the guests on his self-centered chat-show, his pathetic "you know you want it don't you?" dribblings you would be sacked for sexual harassment!

Right, time to head over to my faces you just want to slap thread...

I agree that it was tasteless and unfair on Andrew Sachs (is he really 78??), and it's not even particularly funny, but when the granddaughter starts worrying about her poor dear old grandfather, maybe she should consider whether dressing up in S&M gear and joining a group called the Satanic Sluts is fair on said dear old grandfather. No granddaughter of mine...etc, etc...

have actually watched the video or listened to the podcast?

Seeing something written down and listening to it being, ahem, performed are two different things.

And let's face it, if you don't like someone, something on the TV/radio, there's always the off button!

I get offended by David Cameron - I don't complain to Tory Party Central Office, though, do I? ;o)

It was probably pre-recorded to make it convenient for Ross to co-host (straight after he finished his show that lunchtime). I don't see the pre-record thing as too much of an issue, you can be spontanious and send it out later unedited, as they did.

If someone should have edited it as they are suggesting, what difference does that make? It's wouldn't have changed that the phone messages actually happened that afternoon, and wasn't that the point people were complaining about? It's all getting very clouded.

By the way, I think it was a bit off but a warning and an apology should have surficed. I do enjoy both their Podcasts most weeks.

Isn't this just a pejorative way of describing collective action? Try going into any Liverpool pub and accuse the non-Sun-reading clientele of having a 'herd mentality' outlook. You will, I predict, get a very lucid and vocal response. Collective action works - ask those who keep trying to relaunch the Sun in Liverpool.