Lots of interesting comment on this, on RW, in the papers, in the pub, and overheard on the train. I'm more interested in the stuff people say about it than I am in the incident itself.
For example:
"The original listeners had no problem with it. It's just a bunch of people who hadn't even heard the show who are complaining, over a week later". That would be a valid comment if the complaint was that the show was offensive to the listeners. However, I don't think that's what they did wrong: they offended Andrew Sachs, not their listeners.
So many people seem to think that the key question is whether they find Russell Brand funny or not. Endless letters to the papers about who "gets" or "doesnt get" his humour. But that's irrelevant. If he did wrong, it doesn't excuse it that some onlookers (or listeners) find it funny.
To take a hypothetical example (and if you can't do hypothetical, please stop reading this blog) if someone made a speech inciting racial hatred, and I complained about it, it wouldn't be any defence to say "you weren't there at the time, you only found out about it later, and the people in the audience loved it".
My general take is this, on whether something's right or wrong:
-- it doesn't matter who you are. There are no "privileged positions" that excuse you.
-- it doesnt' matter who the victim is. Nobody "deserves it" or "is asking for it".
I think the BBC generally, and these two in particular, suffer from hubris. Thinking they are holier than thou, and above criticism.
These two phoned up someone, left an abusive message on their answerphone, sang a mocking pretend "apology", and then broadcast the whole thing to the public. If I did that from my company's premises on their phone line during my working hours, I'd be sacked. If people were listening to me do it and found it all very funny, that might actually make it worse. So I don't think the debate on whether Russell Brand is funny has anything to do with it.
As far as I can see, he has something wrong with him (diminished sense of responsibility) which makes him a danger to himself and others, but also very funny to the onlooker. Yes, he is funny. Unfortunately, being a "celeb" probably means he won't get help.
