Calling Andrew Sachs

Oct 18, 2024

Dive into the notorious prank calls made by radio hosts to actor Andrew Sachs that set off a media maelstrom in 2008. Explore the thin line between humor and insensitivity in broadcasting, and how this incident reshaped comedy's landscape. Discover the emotional fallout for Sachs amidst public outrage and the implications for celebrity culture. The scandal not only spurred a backlash but also marked a pivotal shift leading to today's comedy podcast boom, reflecting a growing tendency toward compliance in media.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Controversial Radio Moments: The Fine Line of Humour

01:39 • 2min

The Backlash of a Comedic Prank

03:38 • 2min

The Escalation of Public Humiliation

05:32 • 2min

The Media Controversy That Changed Broadcasting Forever

07:07 • 3min

Rerun: When Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross failed to reach their celebrity guest, 78 year-old ‘Fawlty Towers’ star Andrew Sachs, they instead left him a series of answerphone messages, joking about sexual encounters with Sachs's granddaughter, Georgina Baillie. The segment aired on Brand’s Radio 2 show on 18th October, 2008, and became the third most-complained about programme in recent BBC history.

The presenters were suspended, the station controller resigned, and the BBC was fined £150,000. The event, which became known as ‘Sachsgate’, kick-started an era of ‘compliance’ at Britain’s national broadcaster, and was an early example of tabloid-generated ‘cancel culture’.

In this episode, Arion, Olly and Rebecca ask whether the presenters would still be in their old jobs, were it not for the Mail On Sunday; discover a parallel between one of Sachs’ greatest comic moments and the voicemails that brought him back to national attention; and speculate whether ‘Sachsgate’ lead to the boom in comedy podcasts…