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Sachsgate ‘mayhem’ was over-reaction says Brand
‘It’s like you knock over a glass of water and the wife comes down and shoots the dog’ says comedian
Russell Brand, about to open in a major Hollywood comedy, Get Him to the Greek, has dismissed the public anger whipped up by the Daily Mail over Sachsgate in 2008, which led to him resigning from his DJ slot on Radio 2, as over-reaction.
"As often is the case with comedy, at a junction I always take the road less travelled, the road of this'll be funny, this'll be funny, this'll be funny," he told the Radio Times. "Sometimes there are casualties with morality, politeness. As I said at the time, it was impolite and I apologise for that."
He went on: "But as for all the subsequent reaction - it's like you knock over a glass of water at your neighbour's house and the wife comes down and shoots the dog."
While his sidekick in the prank call Jonathan Ross is only now leaving the BBC, Brand did not let Sachsgate get in the way of his life. He resigned almost immediately and has since made a new life for himself in the States, where he is engaged to singer Katy Perry and stars opposite Jonah Hill in this month's big comedy release, Get Him to the Greek. He plays rock star Aldous Snow, the character he first played in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
The release of the film ties in neatly with the end of Ross's Friday Night talk show on BBC1 and there has been speculation Brand will appear as a guest when the final show is filmed on June 17.
"Obviously, I'd love to do something with Jonathan before his show ends," Brand told the Radio Times. "Aside from the mayhem [of Sachsgate]... he's been my friend for a while and really supportive and I love him.
"But I love the BBC as well, so I don't want to do anything that antagonises them or compromises them." ·
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Let us be pleased it saw of Brand and Ross. "let comedy do its work"? There is no link. Let the cistern do its work.
Oh come on, the 'old gentleman' also made his living by laughing at the expense of a hurtful stereotype of the bumbling foreigner. Andrew Sachs forgave them long ago and saw his career revived by the publicity. It was the media and the anti-BBC section of it that made such a big deal out of what was just a lapse of taste and consideration. Let's just grow up and let comedy do its work.
I am thrilled that Brand's career has not been upset by the pain of an old gentleman.
He just does not get it does he? He must be thicker than I thought.