- Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:16 am
#364359
I heard a very interesting interview with Paul Gambaccini which is the first thing I've heard actually try to clarify how this was able to happen at Radio 2.
Apparently Russell Brand has been empire building at Radio 2 and the ex-controller, who everyone is painting as a tragic victim, not only allowed this to happen but encouraged it by treating Brand as "her pet presenter". In the earlier days of his show, apparently he used to go through producers like most of us get through clean socks - and every time one of them said no to him, he got rid and pulled in someone else. All this with the backing of the tragic ex Radio 2 controller. Finally he managed to get his own production company in there to produce the show - not a move without precedent, but for someone as potentially controversial as Brand, a silly thing to allow - unless he is your "pet", and you are desperate to keep him at all costs.
Gambaccini reckoned that the bottom line problem is that BBC producers these days are often brought in from outside on short contracts, rather than being employed in a lowly position and working their way up to producer at the BBC - meaning that many of them don't really understand that standards and accountability at the Beeb are a different kettle of fish to other broadcasters. Thankfully we know this isn't always the case.
So all in all, far from being in a position to receive compensation from anyone because of her heroic sacrifice, Lesley Douglas was right to accept total responsibility for this whole stupid fiasco. If she'd done her job properly in the first place, Brand would have either been doing his show without resorting to this kind of stupidity, or he'd have walked aaaaages ago, stamping his little feet in fury at not being allowed to have his own way with the BBC. Either of those would have been better than what's happened.
See the thing is, it isn't about Andrew Sachs anymore - its about how Radio 2 has been being run. That's a bigger can of worms than people realised - and I think it needed to be opened.
Charlalottie on Twitter wrote:Just remembered that I played pool with a satanist last night. Really should go out on a Friday more often.
Charlalottie wrote:Had a good night last night. We lost the pub quiz but had my hair plaited by a viking.
chrismoyles.net
