Date confirmed for Ross' BBC return

6 January 2009 05:37pm

Jonathan Ross's TV chat show will be back on January 23 following his suspension over the prank call row involving Andrew Sachs.

The guest line-up has not yet been revealed but the billing is expected to be available tomorrow (Wednesday), a spokeswoman for the BBC said.

Ross's Radio 2 show will be back on January 24 and Film 2009, also fronted by Ross, returns on January 26.

BBC1's flagship chat show Friday Night With Jonathan Ross is normally pre-recorded a day before broadcast.

A posting on the website Twitter, from "Wossy", said today: "Will let you know who is doing music on the show and guests nearer the date. Don't want to jinx things. 1st show already looking GREAT!"

Ross was suspended for 12 weeks without pay for his role in making lewd phone calls to Fawlty Towers star Sachs, costing Ross an estimated £1.5 million of his salary.

Ross and fellow DJ Russell Brand left messages on Sachs' answerphone claiming Brand had slept with Sachs's granddaughter, Georgina Baillie. The pair joked that Sachs might kill himself.

The BBC was deluged with complaints and Brand resigned in the ensuing scandal, as did Radio 2 boss Lesley Douglas.

In December Ross was cleared to keep his £6 million-a-year BBC job, despite being involved in two offensive broadcasts criticised by the Corporation's governing body.

© The Press Association