November 7, 2008 12:07

Bands 'suffering due to Jonathan Ross's BBC suspension'

His Friday night show was 'the Holy Grail' of TV exposure

The BBC's three-month suspension of Jonathan Ross is likely to have a dramatic effect on the bands who were set to appear on his 'Friday Night With...' show, according to a leading public relations expert.

Stuart Bell, PR for Paul McCartney and David Bowie, told The Independent that the suspension of Ross's BBC1 show would have harsh repercussions for the artists who hoped to appear on it.

"It's key – the Holy Grail for that kind of audience. If you do something like 'Later...with Jools Holland', you get the coolness and the credibility, but not always the viewing figures," he explained.

"There's no 'Parkinson' now, either, and no alternative at this time of year. And November is so important. There's the morning shows, 'GMTV', which is fine for Leona Lewis. But if you're The Killers or Razorlight, you want Jonathan Ross."

Ross, along with Russell Brand, was punished by the corporation after the duo broadcast a series of lewd phone calls to former 'Fawlty Towers' actor Andrew Sachs in October.

While Brand resigned from his BBC Radio 2 show, Ross was banned from broadcasting any of his programmes on the network until January 2009

The Killers were due to appear on last week's show (October 31) before it was removed from schedules.

Bands including Radiohead, Oasis, The Libertines and Arctic Monkeys have all performed on 'Friday Night With Jonathan Ross' in the past.