Ross and Brand cannot pay BBC fine

The UK broadcast regulator Ofcom has said that Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand cannot by law pay the £150,000 fine imposed on the BBC following the Andrew Sachs prank phone calls controversy.

The BBC reports that the UK's Communities Secretary Hazel Blears had said that the stars should be made to pay the fine.

An Ofcom spokesman said that the fine was "levied against the BBC and not individuals" and for the duo to pay the fine "would require a change in the law".


In fining the BBC, Ofcom described the prank calls as "gratuitously offensive, humiliating and demeaning".

RTE