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Jonathan Ross Banned from BBC for 3 Months

by Dave Keating | October 31, 2008 at 03:27 am

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There has been much speculation in the UK over how the BBC would handle the row over prank phone calls made by two of its hosts. One of those hosts is Jonathan Ross, one of the highest-paid presenteres on the BBC. Media commentators have noted that it would be prohibitively expensive for the BBC to fire Ross because they would have had to pay out the rest of his contract. Not surprisingly, the BBC has settled on a three-month suspension for Ross.

The BBC is hoping that a three-month ban for star presenter Jonathan Ross and the resignation of Radio 2's boss will draw a line under the obscene phone calls furore.

Ross has been suspended from his TV and radio shows without pay until mid-January, and told he will not be able to bring the BBC into disrepute again. As the corporation's highest-paid star on £6 million a year, the move will cost him about £1.5 million.

Highly-regarded Radio 2 controller Lesley Douglas stepped down after taking ultimate responsibility for the broadcasting of prank calls to Fawlty Towers star Andrew Sachs.

BBC director general Mark Thompson said Ross's contribution to the Russell Brand show was "utterly unacceptable" and there would be "tight discipline" in future.