Victims of the Humorously Impoverished

A national controversy has broken out surrounding an ad lib prank call on a radio show to the actor Andrew Sachs, who played Manuel in ‘Faulty Towers’, made by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross, in which they joke that Russell had sex with his granddaughter. It was a bit iffy taste wise, but certainly did not warrant the press furore that followed. The whole thing has been blown entirely out of proportion, and I suspect it is being used by people with a grudge against either one of them to get rid of them. Brand has been forced to quit and Ross has been suspended for 12 weeks, and no one seems to have yet pointed out that this is all a bit extreme. Everyone seems to be offended by the way that he and his granddaughter have been ‘humiliated’. No-one seems to see the irony that Sach’s granddaughter is a model for a burlesque group named ‘Satanic Sluts’. Surely if he has already had to bear the humiliation of having a granddaughter in that line of work, the prank call must seem feeble in comparison? This is a worrying trend. Why should our finest comedians be forced to suffer the humourously impoverished? What if some of our other much loved national treasures should fall victim? Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear, for example, has a controversial sense of humour. Top Gear is the one programme that makes life bearable. We can't loose it. People, if you are offended by a programme, don't watch it.