Tom Cruise appearance proves Jonathan Ross ban was meaningless

By George Tyndale on Jan 15, 09 11:34 AM

When the Jonathan Ross show returns on Friday Tom Cruise will be the star guest, definitely.

We know this thanks to a deluge of carefully engineered on-off stories about the show in which the American film star was first thinking of appearing, then reconsidering, then definitely not appearing and then ...you get the picture.

Of course Tom Cruise is going to appear. He's got a film to promote. And he knows that the return of the Ross show is certain to command one of the biggest TV audiences of the year.

Which is bit odd. Since it's reappearance is supposed to represent the end of a term of punishment imposed by the BBC as a result of the appalling stunt pulled by the 46 years old presenter when, as a guest on the Russell Brand Radio 2 show, puerile and obscene messages were left on the answer phone of actor Andrew Sachs.

As a result of this shameful and offensive behaviour Russell Brand and Radio 2 executive Lesley Douglas both resigned.

Mr. Ross was suspended for three months and payments were withheld from his £6 million- a-year contract.

Now, no doubt, the BBC argues that it has a responsibility to ensure that the return of an expensive show should get as much attention as possible.

But it's suggestions that the notoriously foul language and sexual innuendo will be toned down can be completely ignored.

The inclusion, as another guest, of Stephen Fry assures this. Mr. Fry's "QI" programme now moved to BBC1 as an apparent monument to the return of intelligence in light entertainment has itself descended into such a swamp of schoolboy double-entendres and homosexual tackiness that it ought to be re-titled Quite Indecent.

But then this is exactly the kind of TV that the flag waving, audience baying, viewing figure busting return of Jonathan Ross condemns us to.

The message is clear. Despite the shameful Sachs episode and a couple of meaningless resignation letters nothing at the BBC has changed. That the three-month suspension of Mr. Ross was a meaningless gesture.

That he returns, not as a contrite figure who has learned a salutary lesson (can you imagine it?) but as a conquering hero who has triumphed over small-mindedness.