Jonathan Ross says something; the Daily Mail is upset

A mild joke - tasteless, tactless, but mild - about having sex with a woman in her 80s has been enough for the Mail On Sunday to roll out the Hazmat team and call, once again, for Jonathan Ross' head on a stick:

Jonathan Ross risked the wrath of BBC executives on his return to Radio 2 yesterday by making crude remarks about sleeping with an 80-year-old woman.

It's not clear if the Mail is upset at the idea of Ross having sex with anyone, or if they're so gerontophobic they believe that the very idea that you might have sex with anyone over the average age of their readership is, in itself, wrong. Or, perhaps, the Mail isn't really upset at all, but has to continue with its pathetic campaign.

Because was anyone upset?

No:

The BBC did not receive any complaints over the incident on Saturday.

The Mail had to shake its bag of perpetually outraged contributors. Who can you find, Mail? How about one of Mary Whitehouse's mob?

John Beyer, director of pressure group Mediawatch UK, said: ‘It’s ultimately for BBC director-general Mark Thompson to say whether this sort of innuendo and suggestion is what he had in mind when he gave Jonathan Ross his last chance back in October. The BBC has to establish boundaries of acceptability.’

Well, yes, to be honest, it probably is what Mark Thompson had in mind - Ross making the sort of joke his audience will find amusing, since you ask.

Have you got anyone else, Mail?

Conservative MP Philip Davies, who sits on the Commons Culture Select Committee, said of his remarks about the elderly woman: ‘Everyone knows what Jonathan Ross is like, particularly now. 'Certainly the BBC are well aware. If you employ Ross, this is what you can expect from him and this is what you’ll always get from him. My view is that he should have been sacked three months ago.’

Oddly enough, Davies' 'this is what you expect from Ross' comment echoes exactly what the BBC says:

A spokesman said: "Regular listeners will be familiar with Jonathan's irreverence and innuendo."

Exactly. As Davies says, you know this what Ross does. If you don't like it, why listen?