Ross suspended by BBC for 12 weeks
The BBC has announced that Jonathan Ross has been suspended from all BBC broadcasting for 12 weeks, without pay, amid the ongoing controversy over phone messages he and Russell Brand left for the actor Andrew Sachs.
The messages, broadcast on a pre-recorded BBC Radio 2 show, included boasts from Brand about his relationship with Sachs' granddaughter Georgina Baillie and comments from the duo that Sachs might kill himself as a result of the revelation.
The BBC's Director General, Mark Thompson, said: "Jonathan Ross's contribution to this edition of the Russell Brand show was utterly unacceptable and cannot be allowed to go uncensored or without sanction. A 12-week suspension is an exceptional step, but I believe it is a proportionate response to Jonathan's role in this unhappy affair."
He continued: "Jonathan Ross has already made a comprehensive and unreserved personal apology to Andrew Sachs and his granddaughter. I believe that he fully understands the seriousness of what has happened. I have made very clear to him the central importance of the clause in his contract about not bringing the BBC into disrepute. We agree that nothing like this must ever happen again and that tight discipline will be required for the future."
Earlier this evening, BBC Radio 2 Controller Lesley Douglas resigned over the affair while Brand announced yesterday that he was quitting his show.
