Friday, 22 May 2009

Radio 2 to pre-record Jonathan Ross's show.

The BBC really needs to work out what to do with Jonathan Ross. I happen to like him as a broadcaster. Yes, he takes risks, but he's funny. Friday Night with Jonathan Ross is a good show, with guests I'm often interested in and frequently great musical perfomances. It's also pre-recorded, which hasn't in the past stopped the show causing offense to some viewers.

The Sachsgate row came about after Jonathan's contribution to a pre-recorded programme. That caused thousands of complaints to Ofcom, although most seemed to come from people alerted to the incident by newspaper reports rather than by actually hearing the show. (As a side issue, I wonder if so many people would have been offended if the messages had been left on the answerphone of someone who was less of a national treasure.)

Yes, the BBC has tightened up the compliance process, but clearly pre-recording shows (with or without Jonathan Ross) does not stop you making programmes that people will be offended by.