Jonathan Ross, the bully (continued)

Some months ago Jay Hunt, Controller of BBC One, sacked Carol Thatcher from the One Show after Thatcher had referred to a black tennis player as a "golliwog." On 5 February 2009 Jay Hunt explained, in an interview on Radio 4's Today programme at 8.10am, why Carol had been sacked. This excerpt follows from Carol Thatcher's remark:

Interviewer: And they complained did they - Adrian Chiles, Jo Brand [and] the charity worker?

Jay Hunt: The conversation was overheard both by them and by other people in the green room at the time. And the next day it was raised as an inappropriate piece of behaviour with the executive producer of the [One] Show.

Interviewer: So somebody complained and said "I want something done about this" ?

Jay Hunt: People were hugely offended. Jo Brand was offended at the time, Adrian was offended at the time, and they decided to raise it with the executive producer and to make it completely clear that they did not think that was an appropriate way for somebody who was being employed by the BBC at the time to speak in what was effectively a public space.

Knowing what Jay Hunt had to say about Carol Thatcher's remark, you might reasonably expect Ms Hunt to be concerned about offensive remarks made against gay people. But week after week Jonathan Ross pokes fun at his house band, and the BBC doesn't do anything about it. In fact Jay says that the house band "enjoy the weekly banter between themselves and Jonathan."

The weekly banter "between themselves and Jonathan" is one-way, with the band simply grinning or giggling in response. It's basically an employer/employee relationship, the abusive employer being Jonathan Ross and the BBC, and the employees being the members of his house band.

Secondly, it's doubtful that the band do actually enjoy Jonathan's digs at them. Doubts stem from a screen capture taken at the moment Jonathan finished saying the phrase ".. who wants a house band that spends most of its time sniffing your crotch and trying to hump your leg?" (see previous blog) At that instant some of the band members appear to be trying hard to put a brave face on the remark. This is the moment in question.