Britain looks into prank calls
Britain’s media watchdog said Tuesday that it was investigating a series of lewd prank calls made by two celebrities on a BBC radio show.
The calls, by comedian Russell Brand and television personality Jonathan Ross, were broadcast on Brand’s radio show.
Brand, who hosted the MTV Video Music Awards last month, has built a career on his outlandish image and risque routines, but his calls to 78-year-old actor Andrew Sachs have sparked thousands of complaints and drawn condemnation in Parliament.
Brand and Ross left a series of messages on the voice mail of the actor, best known for playing Spanish waiter Manuel in the 1970s sitcom “Fawlty Towers,” joking that Brand had slept with Sachs’ 23-year-old granddaughter.
The BBC has apologized, saying some of the calls’ content was “unacceptable and offensive.”
-- Associated Press
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