Following the news reports of Jonathan Ross's departure from the BBC you might be forgiven for thinking that he has died. In a sense there is an obituary being written but not for him, I suggest. What short memories people have. The accompanying picture gives a clue as to how highly we regarded him not so very long ago. A medal, perhaps, from cynical politicians currying favour with the trendy electorate, but an indication, none the less, that he had pulling power aplenty.
The "crime" he committed with Russell Brand was something that would have gone unnoticed had it been perpetrated by 2 private individuals on their friends or colleagues - a raikish jest - as Andrew Sachs, himself, attempted to explain when he pointed out that, as a broadcaster, he understood these things. His voice, however, was drowned out. That was not what the nation wanted to hear and certainly not what the BBC wanted to hear. They were, after all, deeply in it already and were careful not to cover themselves in more of the smelly brown stuff.
Don't the Brits just love anti-heroes - that is what Ross has been all these years. He has been his own man and forged his own way, not Churchillian like or with fine Tolkien-like battle speeches but just by being himself - a typical, untypical, Englishman. All very fine, but the inevitable result is a following and, in his case, a very big one. He became a movement. People who were not creative or clever enough to do it themselves, and that is most of us, jumped on the Ross bandwagon and, before you know it, major changes have taken place in society. Surely not, I hear you say. The man is just an entertainer. He should not be credited with major social changes. Let me explain...
There has always been a tension between public and private behaviour and television and radio have long been in the vanguard. Much of what we do in private is perfectly acceptable by the bulk of the population but as soon as we enter the public arena everything changes. Public figures are not treated as ordinary human beings. We make a very clear distinction between their private and their public image. Enter a new generation of Movers and Shakers determined to push out the old, stuffy, lounge suit behaviour of the broadcasting corporation. Swearing on television. Sex on television. Outrageous jokes, as close to the line of acceptability as it is possible to go. The public loved it - and hated it. Some see it as the natural progression of their own behaviour properly portrayed in public. Others see it as the end of civilised society as we know it.
Jonathan Ross did none of these extreme things and yet is more influential than all the rest put together. What he does is very clever indeed. He gets inside your head. What we see is, apparently, a real human being just being himself. Yes, he's risky. Yes, he's naughty. But can we say, then, that he should pretend to be something he's not - to put on an act - for appearances, for the BBC? No. We want him to be what he is - himself.
The genius of the man is that he poses the question "Do you want me to appear as me or to be an actor, playing a part?" There is no going back from that position. That is how he has changed society for ever.
Jonathan Ross is not the one who has to make difficult decisions here. The BBC has to decide what to do next. Perhaps we will have a cooling off period with the whole issue placed in "safe hands" but it will not go away. Nor, for that matter will Wossy. I can't wait.
Pierre
Tags: Jonathan Ross BBC trendy Russell Brand Andrew Sachs medal behaviour public image Wossy
The "crime" he committed with Russell Brand was something that would have gone unnoticed had it been perpetrated by 2 private individuals on their friends or colleagues - a raikish jest - as Andrew Sachs, himself, attempted to explain when he pointed out that, as a broadcaster, he understood these things. His voice, however, was drowned out. That was not what the nation wanted to hear and certainly not what the BBC wanted to hear. They were, after all, deeply in it already and were careful not to cover themselves in more of the smelly brown stuff.
Don't the Brits just love anti-heroes - that is what Ross has been all these years. He has been his own man and forged his own way, not Churchillian like or with fine Tolkien-like battle speeches but just by being himself - a typical, untypical, Englishman. All very fine, but the inevitable result is a following and, in his case, a very big one. He became a movement. People who were not creative or clever enough to do it themselves, and that is most of us, jumped on the Ross bandwagon and, before you know it, major changes have taken place in society. Surely not, I hear you say. The man is just an entertainer. He should not be credited with major social changes. Let me explain...
There has always been a tension between public and private behaviour and television and radio have long been in the vanguard. Much of what we do in private is perfectly acceptable by the bulk of the population but as soon as we enter the public arena everything changes. Public figures are not treated as ordinary human beings. We make a very clear distinction between their private and their public image. Enter a new generation of Movers and Shakers determined to push out the old, stuffy, lounge suit behaviour of the broadcasting corporation. Swearing on television. Sex on television. Outrageous jokes, as close to the line of acceptability as it is possible to go. The public loved it - and hated it. Some see it as the natural progression of their own behaviour properly portrayed in public. Others see it as the end of civilised society as we know it.
Jonathan Ross did none of these extreme things and yet is more influential than all the rest put together. What he does is very clever indeed. He gets inside your head. What we see is, apparently, a real human being just being himself. Yes, he's risky. Yes, he's naughty. But can we say, then, that he should pretend to be something he's not - to put on an act - for appearances, for the BBC? No. We want him to be what he is - himself.
The genius of the man is that he poses the question "Do you want me to appear as me or to be an actor, playing a part?" There is no going back from that position. That is how he has changed society for ever.
Jonathan Ross is not the one who has to make difficult decisions here. The BBC has to decide what to do next. Perhaps we will have a cooling off period with the whole issue placed in "safe hands" but it will not go away. Nor, for that matter will Wossy. I can't wait.
Pierre
Tags: Jonathan Ross BBC trendy Russell Brand Andrew Sachs medal behaviour public image Wossy
1 comment:
Sorry Pierre, I can't find time to read through all this article, however I saw the name Ross, Wossy rhyming with Flossy reminds me that I am due to perform my weekly flossing of les dents, which is more enjoyable than listening to the utterly banal and quite unfunny dribble from the star of the blog, what he does or did in private is of no interest to me at all but he could have stayed in and spared us, but I suppose there is always the off or alternative channel button on the remote, a foot through the screen is a bit over the top (and expensive).
from a Sowerby Bridge resident
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