SeanMacGabhann

Good to see people still giving this love Series 2 is a gear change from 1 - esp if you have given it a rest in between. Sobotka family are just great characters though. At a book club session on Monday however, just the mention of the show had some people get quite antsy - not that they have ever seen it. And I know why people react against other people banging on about something - but to miss something this good because of that..... oy vey

Quids - for getting "malvolian" in there I doff my cap sir And it gladdens my heart (if I had one) to hear you vigorously deny such charges - and I would agree that what happened was not simple "jolly japes" - it was juvenile and distressing but what was missing from the general discourse (and I'm not talking about you, or this forum even) was perspective. Andrew Sachs handled himself well (and will be appearing on a Jon Ross chat show at some point in the future I will wager, knowing full well that jolly japes will be involved) and I see the graddaughter has said she went too far herself. Essentially, left to the proper channels, the grown ups involved would have apologised, shaken hands and moved on. Jobs did not need to be lost (and it's not just the Brand/Ross jobs - it's all the production people in their companies down the food chain) But when the Mail does crank up it's machine, it doesn't really matter whether you read it or not - it has behaved far more reprehensively than any of the cast in this and it needs opposition. (where was it's concern for the elderly when it was doorstopping Brand's mother just weeks earlier? What was the point in publishing transcripts if they were so offensive - including non-broadcast material?). And yes I hear you, you aren't a Mail reader etc but if we must get indignant let's look at the whole picture Ditto to tens of thousands of people still ringing in to the BBC to complain AFTER the jobs had been lost and/or people suspended, for something they neither were aware of, nor heard. As for Clarkson - let's not judge him on the material he broadcast this week. Let's look at his whole body of work. And then condemn him ;-) But he's not as bad as Littlejohn, I'll give him that much

It's what makes good presidents/leaders generally tho' isn't it? - To lead in hard times into better ones?

I didn't, David C - not sure what was claiming my attention at the time. Will consult my programme!

Not even when the original thread is just a few lines down???? pffft ;-)

I seem to be caught in the middle on this (oh hush!) Limericky/word/song threads - I like wordplay and that but these are just way too.. can't think of a better word.. random. I never feel tickled, amused or in any way enriched Music room - come on - I have seen and heard music and videos I wouldn't have ever come across - definitely a goto place. And if people are showing off.. good. I don't know enough about music.. bring your knowledge ON Football.Gaming threads. yeah I can see why people don't like them. But that's the subject matter more than what the thread does. The limerick/word association threads are different..

Well there's a fresh new one just gone up for everyone to try

not a massive room no bob, but that end of the main bar combined with the ante-room should be sufficiently away from the music to be confortable for everyone Getting there is easy - I normally cut down from top of DKH, and it's a 3 minute walk from there - so any bus that takes you up or down DKH should be fine (and more frequent than a P13!)

ah but will the presenter and station controllers get sacked for being crude to a defenceless harmless woman?

If you get a chance, pick up a copy of Gaunty's book in Smiths or someplace and have a flick through - it's either hilarious or scary depending on how many people youthink believe this stuff. I'm going with scary based on what I've seen in the last week

Not so much a second bar, more of a room slightly seperate from the main room - it's underneat the telly on the right as you go in the main entrance

if you think the story is about Brand and Ross then yes it's trivial and last week. I'm more worried about the witch-hunt/McCarthyesque aspect of it

Sun and Doves coverage is probably ha,mpered by licensing laws, but agreed - it seems a bit pointless given that nothing meaninful will come through until hours later We have a few Americans on board the forum - they might have a better idea - but I reckon house parties = better than pubs for this one

Tony, mobile phone keypads are evil and you are a gent sir More intelligent opinion than mine can be found here David MItchell which I found absolutely spot on. I expected him (as a social conservative) to have taken a different tack but it's hard to disagree with anything he has written A more obvious, but no less pertinent column from Charlie Brooker mines a similar seam

objection, your honour - speculation

Viv. Please tell me you are joking with that question? He was lined up to be interviewed on the show. . . It was when if didnt do the interview that they started to call him back with the silly voice mails

I will concede that RB was a better fit on 6music than Radio2 But then again I'm not that fussed about radio and TV branding (no pun intended) - if a show is good I will go to the relevant station

I would agree that RB hasn't made a single TV show worth bothering with (apart from that one on UK Play years ago) Bt his stand-up and radio shows are far superior

oh and Bon3yard - did you crowbar a Monket Dust reference into an earlier post (the horror the horror)? Now there was a show that if the Mail wanted to could have run riot with

Spot on about Mark Thompson as well quids Although if the public is against bullying yobbish public behaviour I might support that - I'm just not convinced of a causal link between this incident and happy-slapping et al (didn't Manuel actually get physically slapped a lot on FT?? Ban this sick filth!!) I would argue that the only bullying on display here is by the papers in question and bandwagon jumping complainants

On the plus side it sounds like people on the bus were all good citizens and tried to help I guess? Not good at all from the bus driver tho and as you say here's hoping she got home ok

;-) well, I get what you mean To find their behaviour repugnant isn't to make anyone a "Daily Mail reading, hang'em anf flog em, 'fascist" I would argue with the strength of the phrase "repugnant" but on this point we are merely toying with semantics But what would make someone a "Daily Mail reading, hang'em anf flog em, 'fascist" is to be a fascist, believe in hanging and flogging and to read The Da.... oh I see But regardless - what is happening viz: reprisals and headline news items etc is surely by any standard way over the top no? As Tony points out, complaints are up to 41000 - just who are these people who registered their complaint today? Having read the news over the last 2 days, is this not enough for them? They think that adding their voice will... do what exactly? Anyone can make a judgment on how wrong they think Ross and Brand were - but it's not about that. It's about a country and media collectively going over the top

EdOldie You've taken a healthy cynicism and run with it into a cul-de-sac. Brand and Ross will probably be fine. The BBC is not getting any good publicity out of this. this whole incident will be a stick with which the next Tory government will beat it with to an inch of it's life (I've mangled that syntax but can't quite figure out where to fix it - forgive me) But if it's cynical publicity seeking that bothers you, check out the grandaughter. Methinks you have a beef with the BBC generally anyway. But if it's PSB which you lament, can we have examples you approve of?

genius post bon3yard! EdOldie - they knew nothing of the sort. The whole point of this fiasco is that what happened, compared to much of what they say, barely registers. It's hysteria whipped up Now you may not like them, you may detest them and that's all well and fine - but it's irrelevant to the situation. You can't just sack people because you don't like them! You don't like them, Madworld doesn't like them and plenty other don't - but here's the news - plenty more people DO. So the question remains just what is this furore all about. And it's not about how close to death Andrew Sachs is because of this phone call. Not a random phone call either.

Candyman on a Saturday morning? - yes please Watching the news tonight where this led again - senior sackings, Met investigations, BBC bitch-slapped for years to come, schedules awry it struck me.. this is how the world ends. Lunacy And complaints are up to 30 something thousand? What, several thousand people sat on the fence until now and then decided "ooh I'm going to have a go myself" Pathetic For the record, there was no incitement to any listeners to do anything wrong, there was no anti-gay comments a la Moyles for example - the "victim" has handled himself very well and appears to be recovering splendidly. so WTF???? Oh - and people ringing in saying "well, I'm a nurse/doctor/lawyer/driver at so and so and if I said anything like..." - yes - a DIFFERENT JOB WITH DIFFERENT RAISON D'ETRE!!!!