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BBC Daily Mail Jonathan Ross

Jonathan Ross labels Daily Mail journalists as ‘noxious human beings’

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By The Drum Team, Editorial

September 1, 2011 | 3 min read

Comedian Jonathan Ross has embarked on a war of words with the Daily Mail on the eve of the launch of his new ITV1 chat show series on Saturday.

According to The Guardian, Ross has branded the paper’s journalists as ‘noxious human beings’ and ‘insincere hypocrites’.”

Speaking to Richard Bacon on Radio 5 Live yesterday, Ross added: "We don't like it, no one likes it.”

He continued: "But at the same time you do have to be realistic and say are the people writing that people whose opinions you respect? If they are not you really have to let it go.

"They are not people I respect and I can't see how they can have any respect for themselves."

Of his 2006 question to David Cameron – he asked the Tory leader whether he had masturbated while thinking about Margaret Thatcher – Ross said: "I thought it was a funny question and I would do that again. The audience laughed and he didn't have a problem with it.

"Who's got a problem with that? I'll tell you who's got a problem with that – the Daily Mail. Well, if you are not upsetting the Daily Mail you are doing something wrong. They are the most noxious human beings, the people who write for the Daily Mail.

"We know they are hypocrites and insincere and they have got their own reasons for doing stuff."

He predicted the Daily Mail would have already written their story about his ITV1 show and "will just fill in the details around it".

"It won't bother me because I know where it is coming from. It's a joke, it's ridiculous of course they are going to say something negative about me," said Ross.

"They turned me into this cartoon character of arrogance anyway, so they are going to continue to perpetrate that stereotype which is not really true."

Ross said that his departure from the BBC last year was by "mutual consent" and claimed the corporation could have done more to defend him at the height of the controversy over his wage.

He also denied the oft-quoted remark, attributed to him when he was presenting the British Comedy Awards, that he was worth 1000 journalists. "I never said that. I said 'Apparently I am worth 1,000 journalists'.

"I was commenting on a piece that was written in a newspaper. It is ridiculous that you would compare someone who is a journalist to someone who is hosting their own show named after them. They are not doing the same job," he said.

BBC Daily Mail Jonathan Ross

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