Brand Outrage Sparks Community Response

Russell Brand and Jonathon Ross rang up veteran actor Andrew Sachs - better known as Manuel from Fawlty Towers - during Brand’s BBC Radio 2 show, and left four offensive voicemails on his answer machine.

Since the story broke in a Sunday paper, the story has hit headlines and caused controversy on a national scale, with Brand resigning and the axe hanging precariously over Ross’s head.

Many people feel that they have overstepped the line, as Andy Butler from Lansdowne says, “They seem to think that because they are famous, they can do what they like”. The 41-year-old, who lives in Frances Road, adds: “But they haven’t murdered or raped anybody, they haven’t hurt anyone, so I’m on the fence about it really”.

Faye Dunwoody, 30 and Rosalind Smithe, 21, from Poole and Bournemouth, both agreed that the presenters should know better, but are also unsure whether sacking Jonathon Ross is the right outcome. This is a sentiment echoed by mother and daughter Valerie and Kathy Balam, 60 and 81, from Pine Tree Glen in Westbourne: “They shouldn’t have done it but it’s hard to say what the appropriate action to take is.”

Chris Hudson, 53, from Hannington Road in Pokesdown, feels much more strongly about the situation. “It’s a scandal. They shouldn’t have joined forces to do that to an old man. The outcry is right and justified, and the Prime Minister stepped in at the right time.”

Other residents, like Margaret Luck, believe that we should take a more light-hearted approach. The 30-year-old, said: “It’s just a joke. I really like Russell Brand and I think people shouldn’t take this too seriously”.

Sue Laster from Vale Road in Branksome echoes this opinion, adding that people shouldn’t listen to programmes if they don’t like the presenters. The 37-year-old continues, “Everybody knows that they are both controversial characters, that is what makes them funny.”

Vanessa Love, 26, agrees and goes on to say: “The reaction is really very over the top. I think people should get over it, there are more important things in the world to worry about.”

Although the BBC Director has organised a series of meetings with Ross and is busy debating how to deal with the situation, nothing has officially been announced.

A Senior Journalist at the corporation, Alan Soady, said, “It’s a ridiculous storm in a teacup… It obviously didn’t offend the people who listen on a regular basis, but is it the sort of thing that the BBC should be broadcasting? Probably not. Who is responsible? The 25 year-old inexperienced producer, the person who hired him, whoever hired Brand, or the two presenters themselves? We don’t know yet.”