Dame Edna's Question

Jonathan Ross's house band, on Friday, was introduced with the stale "jokey banter" he churns out each week ...

Ross: Talking of romantic breaks, may I introduce the men who love being taken up the Grand Canal by a gondolier .. it is ..they love Venice don't you .. they love Venice - all that water and not a car in sight. It's my house band 4 Poofs and a Piano.

First guest last Friday was Dame Edna Everage, who asked if the name of Jonathan's house band could be homophobic.

Jonathan's reply: I don't think so - the fellas named themselves, of course. And er I would have thought probably not. You wouldn't say something that was disrespectful about yourself, would you?

Perhaps Mr Ross needs reminding of the incident last autumn, which resulted in his suspension for 12 weeks. He and Russell Brand had left rude and insulting messages on an answering machine belonging to Andrew Sachs. The messages related to Andrew's granddaughter, Georgina Baillie. And to jog Mr Ross's memory a bit further, here is a link to Georgina's performing group.

So yes, maybe you might just call yourself something disrespectful in order to further your career. Being disrespectful can, however, lead to unfortunate consequences.