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| Ross pulls out of Comedy Awards | Ross pulls out of Comedy Awards |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Jonathan Ross has stepped down from presenting the 2008 British Comedy Awards, ITV1 has announced. | Jonathan Ross has stepped down from presenting the 2008 British Comedy Awards, ITV1 has announced. |
| The broadcaster said it backed the presenter's decision in the wake of the Radio 2 row concerning prank calls made to Fawlty Towers star Andrew Sachs. | The broadcaster said it backed the presenter's decision in the wake of the Radio 2 row concerning prank calls made to Fawlty Towers star Andrew Sachs. |
| Ross, 47, has been suspended from all BBC programmes for 12 weeks without pay as a result of the calls, which were made on Russell Brand's Radio 2 show. | Ross, 47, has been suspended from all BBC programmes for 12 weeks without pay as a result of the calls, which were made on Russell Brand's Radio 2 show. |
| The British Comedy Awards are set to be broadcast live on ITV1 on 6 December. | |
| The ceremony is expected to go ahead, though no decision has been made over who will replace him. | The ceremony is expected to go ahead, though no decision has been made over who will replace him. |
| The awards are in their 18th year and this would have been Ross's 17th year as host. | |
| 'Full support' | 'Full support' |
| It had been reported that Ross would receive at least £100,000 for presenting the ceremony. | It had been reported that Ross would receive at least £100,000 for presenting the ceremony. |
| A spokesman for the entertainer said the British Comedy Awards was "a show he very much enjoys being part of." | A spokesman for the entertainer said the British Comedy Awards was "a show he very much enjoys being part of." |
| However, he added, Ross did "not want his participation in this year's event to take away from the awards themselves or the many talented winners". | However, he added, Ross did "not want his participation in this year's event to take away from the awards themselves or the many talented winners". |
| Peter Fincham, ITV's director of television, said his decision had been made "with the full support of ITV and the show's producers". | Peter Fincham, ITV's director of television, said his decision had been made "with the full support of ITV and the show's producers". |
| Last year's ceremony was not shown on TV following a phone-in voting irregularity which was uncovered on the 2005 show. | |
| Viewers had been invited to vote in a section of the show which was broadcast with a half-hour time delay, despite the fact the winner had already been announced at the event. | |
| Ross provoked fury among the BBC's senior management by joking during last year's show that his £6 million annual salary was "worth 1,000 BBC journalists". | |
| Meanwhile, at Ross's home on Friday morning, preparations were taking place for the star's annual Halloween party. | |
| Asked whether Ross would be at the party, his wife, author Jane Goldman, said: "It's my children's Halloween party." | |
| Comedian Jimmy Carr, who was seen entering the Hampstead home, expressed his support for Ross, saying the issue had been been blown out of proportion and that Ross was a "national treasure". |