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Publishers have offered a mixed response to the ongoing media furore about Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross' prank phone calls to "Fawlty Towers" star Andrew Sachs on Brand's BBC Radio 2 show.
Brand resigned from his radio show earlier this week, and yesterday evening the BBC announced that it would suspend Ross for 12 weeks without pay, with his shows on BBC1 and Radio 2 taken off air.
Both stars released books two weeks ago: Transworld imprint Bantam Press published Ross's rather presciently titled Why Do I Say These Things? on 16th October, while Brand's collection, Articles of Faith, was published on the same day by HarperCollins. Both were expected to do well in the run-up to Christmas.
Ross's publisher Larry Findlay commented on the book: "Its first full week's sales on BookScan were strong before this separate issue broke. It's far too early to assess any impact that this may have."
While Siobhan Kenny, communications director at HarperCollins was more positive: "Russell Brand's fans know what to expect and judging by the robust sales figures, they are all buying Articles of Faith regardless of whether he is on Radio 2."
Ross's show, which was supposed to air tonight (31st October), was often a high-profile site for guests to promote their books. Although the BBC could not confirm who had been lined up to appear, Frank Skinner, whose On The Road (Century) was published earlier this month, was scheduled for tonight's show.
The http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and... target="_blank">Times, meanwhile, looks at what Ross might be up to during the 12 weeks of suspension under the headline "suddenly, there's time to promote the new book".