Lawson: Ross return a PR headache
Jonathan Ross will find it "pretty unbearable" when he returns to work, BBC presenter Mark Lawson predicts.
Mark, who fronts Radio 4's Front Row, said Ross probably has the biggest PR problem any TV person has had.
Friday Night With Jonathan Ross will return to screens on January 23.
The host's three-month suspension will be up after the prank phone calls he and Russell Brand made to Andrew Sachs, sparking a furore and resignations.
His confirmed guests include Stephen Fry and Lee Evans. A third guest slot has not yet been filled, with speculation that Tom Cruise, who is promoting his film Valkyrie, may or may not complete the billing.
Speaking about Jonathan's return, Lawson told the Radio Times: "I think he has probably the biggest PR problem any TV person has ever had: the controversy doesn't revolve around one particular remark he made, but his whole act.
"I don't see how he can win this. Anyone who's been through even a minor scare over matters of taste at the BBC knows it's pretty horrible... I think Ross is going to find it pretty unbearable.
"So I think it will quite quickly suit both parties to find a way for him to leave the BBC."
Others interviewed by the magazine thought Ross should shape up rather than ship out. PR guru Mark Borkowski said: "The BBC won't want to lose him."
