JONATHAN ROSS “knew he made a mistake” over the Andrew Sachs phone call scandal, says Ross’s friend Ricky Gervais.


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“Jonathan was devastated,” Gervais told The Sun. “I’ve spoken to him a few times and he knows he was in the wrong.”

Ross and fellow BBC radio and TV presenter Russell Brand were the villains of the nation a few weeks ago after leaving a message on Sachs’ answer machine in which they spoke about Brand’s affair with Sachs’ granddaughter in rude terms.

The prank call was broadcast to the shock of several national newspapers, who whipped up a campaign against the pair.

Brand then resigned from the BBC and Ross was suspended, but Ross in particular received strong support from people who thought the reaction to the phone call was over the top

“The whole thing got blown out of proportion,” said Gervais.

“They could have sworn a hundred times and said some other ridiculous things and that would have been okay. But it was about a human being. The sex and the baying for blood and all that. It was wrong. But they do know that now. Jonathan has apologised. He knew he made a mistake – but he didn’t kill anyone.”