Sunday, November 23, 2008

Smoking Gun emails.

In case you missed them during the week, hereare some of the emails between BBC staff leading up to the SachsGate' affair...!

Thursday 16 October
(Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross have left the offensive messages on Andrew Sachs' voicemail and the producer of Brand's Radio 2 show, Nic Philps, has heard a recording of them).
From Nic Philps to Dave Barber (Radio 2 head of compliance):
Could I have a chat with you at some point today re Russell's pre-record?

By now Philps has phoned Andrew Sachs (the exact time of the call is unclear). According to the BBC Trust report into the affair, published today, Sachs "was prepared to accept that it was possible the producer [had] taken away the view that his consent had been obtained and that the future appearance was in addition to the transmission of the existing material, but in his view that would, at best, have been 'wishful thinking'."

From Nic Philps to Dave Barber:
The first hour of the programme is here [hyperlink]
Scroll through to the phone call at 52 mins in. Russell and Jonathan call Manuel's answerphone ... (Andrew Sachs AKA Manuel is aware of it and happy - I spoke to him afterwards). The problem comes when Jonathan says that Russell 'f*cked' Sachs' granddaughter ... I would say take it out, but it forms the crux of the call and is VERY funny. In the second hour of the show, they go on to call the answerphone back about three times to apologise and it makes for some brilliantly funny radio ... Let me know what you think! Russ and Jonathan both VERY keen for it to go out.


Barber has "listened to the identified section of the programme twice and then rang [Philps] who confirmed that he believed that Andrew Sachs was content for the calls to be broadcast".
From Dave Barber to Lesley Douglas (Radio 2 controller):
Russell is pre recorded this week with Jonathan Ross as his co-host.
Jonathan uses the f-word 52 mins into the first hour in a sequence about Russell 'f******' Andrew Sachs granddaughter. They are speaking into Sachs's answer machine at the time, and it's very funny - there then follow more calls to the answerphone in the 2nd hour, again v funny.
Having discussed it with [Philps] and listened to the sequence, I think we should keep in and put a 'strong language' warning at the top of the hour. I think it's editorially justified in this context and certainly within audience expectations for Russell's show and the slot. Certainly preferable to bleeping, which would make it obvious anyway (and we don't bleep now for this reason). Jonathan also apologises and Russell's shocked reaction is hilarious.
Andrew Sachs is aware and is happy with the results which were recorded his end for him to hear). Are you happy with this as a plan of action?


Friday 17 October
From Lesley Douglas to Dave Barber:
Yes