Last updated 11:23, Thursday, 27 November 2008

IT'S time the Russell Brand/Jonathan Ross issue was put to bed.

The BBC has rightly been criticised for the lamentable way in which it handled the row over that phone call to veteran actor Andrew Sachs.

It's been an embarrassment for the Beeb and hopefully a chastening experience for its bosses.

However media hysteria has kept the issue in the headlines for far longer than it merits.

Ross and Brand aren't my cup of tea, but clearly there are thousands of people out there who enjoy their curious idea of humour.

Anything they do in the future is sure to come under intense scrutiny. And with threats from so-called rebels who are threatening to refuse paying their licence fees, the BBC must realise its responsibility.

But, for all its faults, the Beeb remains the best broadcaster going. It is guilty of dumbing down some of what it produces, but it still offers a wide range of programmes that other television companies can only envy.

Whether presenters like Jonathan Ross are worth their inflate salaries is another matter for another time.

But we've heard this row done to death. It's time to move on.