News about Andrew Sachs

Public discontent over BBC bosses' arrogant and inept handling of the Huw Edwards scandal is growing every day. A 'Defund the BBC' campaign is attracting increasing support, with backers saying the Corporation 'has serious questions to answer' about why the promised reforms to prevent a repeat of the Jimmy Savile affair have not worked and why 'the British people are still forced to pay for big-name salaries and cover-ups'. It is completely understandable why so many licence fee payers are wondering why their hard-earned money is being used to fund the pension pot of someone convicted of sharing indecent images of children, and for the bloated wages of the management who indulged him. There have been public protests against the BBC before and one-off campaigns to refuse paying the annual TV licence fee (currently £169.50). For example, the former newspaper editor Charles Moore refused to pay in protest at the BBC's decision not to sack Jonathan Ross after he and fellow Radio 2 presenter Russell Brand were exposed by The Mail on Sunday in 2008 for leaving obscene messages on actor Andrew Sachs's answerphone.

From impersonating a goose-stepping Nazi in front of German guests, to thrashing his red Austin car after it failed to start, Basil Fawlty was the most gloriously haphazard of hotel owners. The star of hit sitcom Fawlty Towers might have seemed like yet another hilarious creation from the mind of John Cleese (right as Basil with Prunella Scales as Sybil). But the character was - as Cleese has previously spoken about - in fact almost entirely based on Donald Sinclair, the owner of the ramshackle Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay in the 1970s. Cleese was inspired to create Fawlty Towers after he and the other Monty Python stars stayed there in 1970 and discovered the 'wonderfully rude' owner and his wife Beatrice (left) - who Basil's wife Sybil was later based on. Fawlty Towers is now back after half a century in the form of a West End play, in which Adam Jackson-Smith portrays Basil. Fellow Python Graham Chapman described Sinclair - who appeared to despise his guests - as 'completely round the twist, off his chump, out of his tree.' Other staff at the Gleneagles - which has now closed - inspired more of the show's characters. Spanish waiter Pepe became Manuel (inset bottom) - who was portrayed by Andrew Sachs - and German-Swiss housekeeper Jetty was the basis for Polly (top inset), depicted by Cleese's then wife Connie Booth.

The Daily Mail's Weekend magazine has reached yet another magnificent milestone - this month we turn 30! We asked you to share our top ten TV shows so we could compile our definitive list of the 100 Greatest TV Shows voted for by you.

Sir Mark Thompson, the former chairman of BBBC, has spoken out about Russell Brand's service at the firm, revealing that despite being chairman-general at the time, he is still wondering why he was given such clout. During Brand's tenure on Radio 2, the media executive was head-general of the BBC, prior to the scandal surrounding'Sachsgate' and the comedian's eventual departure.

IAN GALLAGHER: A faded chat show king who was once adored for his irreverence, finds himself occupying a late-night slot on a classical music station. Although it seems that it is a new iteration of a parody Alan Partridge character, the man behind the microphone on Classic FM's Saturday Night At The Movies is all too real. Jonathan Ross, the foul-mouthed host, is left. To recap, Ross and Brand left obscene messages for Andrew Sachs, agonizing that Fawlty Towers actor, then 78, was chastised for Brand's brief fling with his granddaughter, Georgina Baillie (right). It was Ross, as reported by The Mail on Sunday, who yelled "he f***ed your granddaughter" during one of the appalling calls, which was shown on Russell Brand's then Radio 2 show (centre). And yet, this is no reason to be discouraged from grace, far from it. Classic FM is just another spectacular string to his bow.

Georgina Baillie is a fragile being. She admits to being 'out of my head' on alcohol, or worse, for the first year of her adult life. So much so that her parents, actor Charlie, and voiceover artist Kate have all given up on her. Andrew Sachs, a 'lovely' grandfather, never really made peace after Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross 'ripped my family apart.'

Earlier this morning, the BBC was accused of attempting to hide the specifics of Russell Brand's allegations. According to an investigator behind the scandal engulfing the actor, the firm had used the exemption to swerve answering using the 'Freedom of Information Act'. It comes after it was reported that BBC management was made aware of allegations that Brand had exposed himself to a woman in an LA office where he was recording a radio show.

Russell Brand was able to 'blatantly bully and humiliate' colleagues, according to Liz Kershaw. The prevailing management style encouraged his antics, leaving behind a trail of ruined careers and broken lives,' the former radio presenter claims. She singled out former BBC Radio 2 controller Lesley Douglas for encouraging Brand, who is facing sexual harassment charges, to do "whatever she wanted" in a scathing attack.

In the aftermath of Russell Brand's ever-expanding slew of allegations directed at him, JENNI MURRAY rescheduled an interview with him that aired on Woman's Hour on November 13, 2007.

SARAH VINE (inset): Postponed, cancelled, and suspended: the Russell Brand (left and right)scandal is on a new course. First, the world responds to increasing reports of sexual assault, exploitation, coercion, and rape. More women have come forward to file allegations since the first Channel 4 documentary and newspaper probe, and more have written to support. Then Brand's promoters, publishers, former employees, and even some members of his own family - but not his father, who gave his son his first glimpse of depravity by paying for him to lose his virginity to a prostitute - distance themselves from the disgraced celebrity. YouTube is by far the most popular of these. Brand was denied from profiting from his 6.6 million followers, who earned him up to £1 million a year, according to the streaming giant. We take steps to shield the community if a developer's off-platform behavior affects our customers, employees, or ecosystem,' the company said. This decision extends to all Russell Brand-owned or operated channels.'

Andrew Sachs, 38, who was entangled in a media storm when Brand prank called Fawlty Towers actress Andrea, 38, to brag about having sex with her, says she's taking some of the allegations he now takes 'with a pinch of salt.' Ms Baillie spoke out shortly after it was revealed that the comedian turned wellness specialist was facing a police probe into allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in London. He has been accused of raping a woman in Los Angeles, assaulting two others, and grooming a 16-year-old teen during his heyday. "I do not see Russell as a rapist,' she said last night, but the evidence is convincing, so one must keep an open mind." I'm not saying they are lies; rather, they [the women] should be believed and get some assistance.' On last night, Georgina talked to Piers Morgan on his TalkTV show. Brand paid for her rehabilitation in 2018 to make amends for what she had done to her earlier, she told MailOnline. When she asked if she suspects he is guilty, she replied, "I wouldn't say no." Maybe with a pinch of salt.'

Lesley Douglas's support for Russell Brand (pictured together) at the corporation has risen since the sex assault charges were broadcast. She resigned in 2008 after Brand and Jonathan Ross sent a series of lewd telephone messages to former Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs, who said that Brand had sex with his granddaughter in what became known as Sachsgate. Gambaccini, one of Radio 2's top presenters, launched an ex narcotic attack on Ms Douglas' Brand handling.

PETER HITCHENS: I'll never forget the night Russell Brandt promised to kiss me. On the BBC Newsnight programme in 2012, he was involved losing a fight about drugs.

Russell Brand, a foul-mouthed braggart, has had a lucrative career as a result of his sexy, insulting demeanour. He specializes in humour, which is both puerile and humiliating, no more exemplified than when he humiliated Andrew Sachs by leaving the actor's voicemails about his granddaughter's sex with him. However, the full extent of the allegations thrown against him, which include rape, sexual assaults, and emotional abuse of women over a seven-year span, are nothing less worrying.

Jonathan Ross, a fellow presenter, was suspended and forced out network bosses after the BBC was fined £150,000 over the so-called Sachsgate fiasco, which cost Russell Brand's career at Radio 2. Andrew Sachs, a brand and Ross, left obscene messages on Fawlty Towers' answerphone in 2008. Georgina Baillie, a dancer who Brand had slept with, was the respected actor, best known for playing bungling Spanish waiter Manuel in the 1970s comedies. At the time, Brand was 33, and Georgina, a dancer with a company called Satanic Sluts, was 23, and there was outrage when the messages were broadcast as part of his show.

Following a joint inquiry by The Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches, the revelation comes amid reports that allegations regarding his'sinister' behavior towards women was a "open mystery" among TV and radio executives. Bosses on the BBC and Channel 4 have been accused of turning a blind eye toward the entertainer when he served for them as a host between 2006 and 2013. The broadcasters maintained that they took all appropriate steps to deal with him, but lawmakers could also be called before a government select committee where MPs could grill them about what they heard.

Georgina Baillie, a dancer who Brand had slept with, was the respected actor, who was best known for portraying bungling Spanish waiter Manuel in the 1970s comedy. Brand was 33 years old at the time, while Georgina, a dancer with a company called Satanic Sluts, was 23, and there was outrage when the messages were broadcast as part of his performance. Sachs said he was horrified by the pair's behavior after they received more than 40,000 calls, and he was shocked. Brand and Ross left three messages on his answering machine repeating and graphic information about his granddaughter's marriage - at one point, Brand and Ross even asked if they could have his 'permission' to marry Georgina.

Russell Brand's'sinister' behavior toward women has been a 'open mystery,' among TV and radio executives, it was claimed. While working with them as a host between 2006 and 2013, bosses on the BBC and Channel 4 are said to have turned a blind eye to the entertainer's behavior. The broadcasters have claimed that they took all appropriate measures to cope with him, but MPs may also be called before a Government select committee where MPs can grill them about what they learned. Multiple people have been accused of rape, sexual harassment, and emotional abuse, including one who claims she was 16 years old at the time. He has denied the charges. The 48-year-old's behavior is said to have been common knowledge among female entertainers on the comedy circuit, who are said to have warned each other of him.

Brand (left) on television programs, including 1 Leicester Square on MTV, Channel 4 shows Big Brother's Efourum (seen top right) and Big Brother's Big Mouth, as well as US chat show Brand X. Staff allegedly instructed members of the audience to hand over notes with either his phone number or the hotel's details, and then receiving tearful phone calls from women who had slept with him but never heard from him, according to Dispatches. Lesley Roberts (top middle), the station's controller at the time, was shown to have heard of allegations that Brand was having sex with champions at the toilets and was accused of failure to respond. Helen Berger, Russell Brand's personal assistant from 2006-2007 (bottom middle), said the comedian and personality would 'walk this way and that way', pointing out audience members and saying 'can you get me their numbers?'

As the interview came to an end, 60 Minutes reporter Liz Hayes was filming the maverick comedian for a segment on Nine's current affairs show. But as Brand physically launched himself at Hayes, the light-hearted chat became awkward and uncomfortable. Brand - who is now embroiled in serious allegations aired in the United Kingdom - shamelessly grabbed the 60 Minutes reporter and gripped her to her in a tight clinch while thrusting his groin at her.

SARAH VINE: Accusing someone of predatory sexual misconduct has been a quick way to smear reputations and/or hurt positions and careers as Russell Brand responds to allegations he denies. When it comes to allegations of such seriousness, it's important to remember that everyone deserves a fair hearing. Just because someone has a resentful demeanor and/or a chequered history does not mean they are a rapist.

The allegations are believed to have occurred between 2006 and 2013, while Brand was presenter for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 before becoming a Hollywood actor. Brand denied the serious criminal charges in a video shared to YouTube and X, formerly Twitter. Any relationships he had during his'stimulation' were 'consensual,' he said. According to The Sunday Times' reports, the brand's attitude toward women is reported to have been an open secret in radio and TV production. After Brand and Jonathan Ross (pictured below) called the much-loved Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs during Brand's appearance and left lewd messages on his answering machine, a ferocious public outrage was unleashed in 2008. Prior to this, BBC employees had lodged a serious complaint against Brand's conduct in the studio, according to station Controller Lesley Douglas (left).

The comedian was supposed to appear at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre at 7 p.m. to perform his show Bipolarisation, but he was stuck on the 'M40'. Supporters were seen inside as they started to trickle in to watch the 48-year-old's performance, despite concerns that the event might be cancelled due to the bombshell allegations against Brand. But he's running late, according to his supporters. On the M40, a note was made by the theater: 'Russell is stuck in traffic.' The event is expected to begin at 7.40 p.m. He is 100% on his way. He's looking forward to seeing you soon.'

Both the allegations were alleged to have occurred between 2006 and 2013, when Brand was a host for BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 before becoming a Hollywood celebrity. Among the explosive charges levied by The Times include claims that Brand was regulating, abused, and predatory in behavior. Brand denied what he described as "very serious criminal charges" against him late Friday night, according to the bombshell. One woman says Brand assaulted her against the wall in his Los Angeles home. A second woman argues that Brand assaulted her when she was 31 and she was 16 years old and still attending school. When she worked with him in Los Angeles, a third woman allegedly assaulted him sexually, while a fourth said he was physically and emotionally abused. The brand refutes the allegations, while others maintain that their friendships were "consensual."