BBC Air Russell Brand And Jonathan Ross Prank Call Apology

The BBC have formally apologised on air for the recent prank calls made by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross.

The apology was aired on BBC Radio 2 at the beginning of Ross’s show on Saturday morning and later during Brand’s former slot.

Brand resigned over the series of lewd messages he and Ross left on the actor Andrew Sachs’ answer phone last month.

In them, Brand boasted that he had slept with Sachs’ granddaughter Georgina Baillie.

The BBC said the conversation was “grossly offensive and an unacceptable intrusion into the private lives of both Mr Sachs and Ms Baillie.”

The broadcaster added: "It was a serious breach of editorial standards, and should never have been recorded or broadcast.

"The BBC would like to apologise unreservedly to Mr Sachs, Ms Baillie and to our audiences as licence fee payers."

Ross, the BBC’s highest paid star, has been suspended without pay for three months - a penalty which will cost the TV personality almost £1.3million.

Meanwhile, Lesley Douglas, the controller of BBC Radio 2 and the woman responsible for bringing both Brand and Ross to the station, and another BBC executive tendered their resignation over the row.

Brand caused controversy in September as host of the MTV Video Music award