Ross returns to BBC chat show with apology
tv presenter vows to be ‘more aware in future’ as 12-week suspension ends
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JONATHAN Ross returned to a warm reception on his chat show yesterday with the words: “So, where were we?”
Ross, 47, was suspended from his Friday night programme for 12 weeks after he and comedian Russell Brand left offensive messages on actor Andrew Sachs’s answering machine.
The audience watching the filming of the show at Television Centre in London said the mood in the studio was very supportive. Ross took the stage to noisy applause before asking the audience: “So, where were we?”
Introducing the show, which will be broadcast tonight, he welcomed his “millions of regular viewers” and gave a special mention to the “several thousand new viewers” who he said might be watching for the first time.
Before bringing on the first of his guests, Ross joked about outgoing US president George W. Bush and repeated his apology for the Sachs scandal. He mocked several “Bushisms”, including “the trouble with the French is they have no word for entrepreneur” and “I believe human beings and fish can coexist peacefully”.
“What sort of idiot would say stuff like that knowing it was going to be broadcast?” Ross said.
“Well, I am going to take this opportunity to apologise for what I said on the radio because being on the BBC and being allowed this level of freedom to communicate openly with people, it’s a great privilege and it’s something I’ve always enjoyed and I value enormously, and in future I do intend to be more aware of the responsibility that comes with such a gift.”
Audience members at the recording, which featured Tom Cruise, Stephen Fry and Lee Evans as interviewees, said there was no ill-feeling towards the presenter.
John Wood, 49, from East Grinstead, West Sussex, said: “The audience was totally with him, no anti-feeling whatsoever.” Mr Wood added that during a break in filming, Ross joked with Cruise about the suspension. He was asking Cruise what he did with his time off, and Cruise said he was so busy he never had any time off.
“Ross joked ‘Well, you want to try getting banned’ – it was really funny,” Mr Wood said.
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross will be on BBC1 at 10.35pm.
