BBC suspends Brand and Ross

LONDON, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- British comedians Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand have been suspended and their shows yanked off the BBC following a controversial radio prank, the BBC said.

The British broadcaster said it is investigating sexually explicit phone calls the duo made to the cell phone voice mail of 78-year-old "Fawlty Towers" actor Andrew Sachs in a segment that aired on Brand's Oct. 18 Radio 2 show while Ross was a guest.

More than 18,000 people have complained to the BBC. Sachs's granddaughter, Georgina, Baillie has called for the pair to be fired and Prime Minister Gordon Brown has condemned the comedians' antics as "inappropriate and unacceptable behavior."

"I have been in regular contact with the senior executives I tasked with handling this issue," BBC Director General Mark Thompson said in a statement. "In the meantime, I have decided that it is not appropriate for either Russell Brand or Jonathan Ross to continue broadcasting on the BBC until I have seen the full report of the actions of all concerned. This gross lapse of taste by the performers and the production team has angered license payers."

Thompson also offered his "own personal and unreserved apology to Andrew Sachs, his family and to license fee payers for the completely unacceptable broadcast."

Ross's TV chat and radio shows, as well as Brand's radio show, have been suspended indefinitely.

Sachs told the BBC Ross has "personally delivered a letter of apology and some flowers" since the broadcast, but he hasn't "heard anything" from Brand.