PM condemns Brand's radio 'prank'

Gordon Brown and David Cameron last night weighed in to the row over a series of offensive telephone calls made by Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand to the veteran actor Andrew Sachs on their Radio 2 show as the media regulator Ofcom launched a major investigation into the incident.

As the number of complaints about the incident topped 10,000, Ofcom announced its inquiry – which could see the BBC fined up to £250,000 if found guilty of breaching the Broadcasting Code – and Mr Cameron and Mr Brown joined other MPs in condemning the broadcaster's actions.

Mr Brown described the prank calls as "inappropriate and unacceptable", while Mr Cameron called on the BBC to be "transparent" about how the programme came to be broadcast, given that it was pre-recorded.

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The broadcast involved Brand and Ross leaving messages on Mr Sachs' answering machine claiming that Brand had slept with the actor's granddaughter Georgina Baillie, 23. The presenters also joked that the former Fawlty Towers star might kill himself as a result.

After receiving a rash of complaints about their comments, Ofcom took the decision to launch an inquiry. In a statement, it said: "All UK broadcasters must adhere to Ofcom's Broadcasting Code which sets standards for the content of television and radio broadcasting. It also deals with issues such as fairness and privacy."

Ross, 47, and Brand, 33, have since issued personal apologies to Mr Sachs, with Ross delivering flowers and a letter to the actor's door. The BBC has also apologised over the matter, and is launching an internal inquiry. Tim Davie, director of audio and music at the BBC, said: "We're going to have a full investigation, look at the facts and take the appropriate action." In an interview with the BBC, he admitted the programme was "unacceptable" and said clear editorial guidelines needed to be followed, but added that apportioning blame prematurely would be "the wrong thing to do". Asked if anyone would "take the rap", Mr Davie said the most important thing was to conduct a fair, balanced report and then take action.

Mr Cameron said the BBC had some "very straightforward" questions to answer. "The main question is why did they allow this programme to be broadcast, given that it was pre-recorded?" he said.

The subject of the prank calls had arisen earlier yesterday during a debate in the House of Commons, in which the Justice minister David Hanson told MPs that the broadcast was not "appropriate". Later, the Tory MP Nadine Dorries called on the BBC to sack both broadcasters.

It was also claimed that should Mr Sachs wish to take the matter further, Brand and Ross could possibly be prosecuted on the grounds of harassment. If found guilty, they would both face jail terms of up to six months.

The Metropolitan Police said it had received complaints about the comments, but would not confirm how many had been made. "This will be looked at and a decision taken, but there is no police investigation at this time," a police spokesman said.

Mr Sachs, 78, last night appeared to play down the saga. "Jonathan Ross has personally delivered a letter of apology and some flowers," he said. "He made no excuses and was very frank and open. He's in a lot of trouble and I don't want to pile any more on him. My granddaughter hasn't heard from either Ross or Brand and I do think they owe her an apology."