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Now, where were we? Jonathan Ross reports back for work
JONATHAN Ross marked his return to television today by repeating his apology for the Andrew Sachs scandal.
The 47-year-old was suspended from his Friday night chat show for 12 weeks after he and Russell Brand left a series of offensive messages on the Fawlty Towers actor's answering machine.
While filming tomorrow night's show at Television Centre in west London, Ross promised to be "more aware" in future.
Sky News reporter Enda Brady was among the 300-strong audience.
He said that Ross, wearing a red suit and white shirt, began the performance with a series of jokes about outgoing US president George Bush.
He then said: "What kind of idiot would say stuff like that, knowing it would be broadcast?
"Seriously, I would like to apologise. We have got a great responsibility, what we do is a privilege and I will be more aware in future."
Ross's wife Jane arrived at the studios this morning to support her husband.
A long queue of audience members snaked around part of the BBC building early this morning as they waited to get in.
Tom Cruise, one of the guests on the show, arrived in a blacked-out car without commenting to reporters.
Brady said Ross's first words to the audience as he walked out to noisy applause were: "So, where were we?"
Ross said someone had sent him a gargoyle with his face and joked that he looked up the definition of gargoyle in the dictionary to find it described as: "Something that spills filth into the gutter."
Brady said that when Lee Evans, one of the guests on the show, used a swearword, Ross kicked him off, saying they were in a "brave new age".
There was a buoyant mood among audience members as they filed out of Television Centre and into the cold winter afternoon.
James Short, 30, from Canary Wharf in east London, said Ross had made a real return to form.
"It was very good, as good as always.
"Everyone who was there was extremely supportive of him and the general feeling was that the suspension was over the top."
After making one suggestive wisecrack, Mr Short said, Ross joked that it would probably appear in the next day's newspapers.
Mr Short said that his favourite moment of the show was seeing Ross try to make Cruise sing.
Mr Short, a former investment banker, said he got his ticket to the show through a friend who had tickets to one of the shows that were cancelled due to Ross's suspension.
Another audience member said that when Ross thanked comedian Stephen Fry for coming on the show, Fry responded: "I'm very happy to help you get off the naughty step."
John Wood, 49, from East Grinstead in Sussex, said that during one gap in filming Ross joked with Cruise about the suspension.
Mr Wood said: "Jonathan Ross was asking Tom Cruise what he does with his time off, and Tom Cruise said he was so busy he never had any time off.
"Jonathan Ross joked 'Well, you want to try getting banned' - it was really funny."
Mr Wood, who runs his own PR business, said the majority of people in the audience had had tickets for one of the cancelled shows and been reallocated seats for today's performance.
Ben Parks, 18, travelled to London from Sheffield to watch the show.
He said: "It was really funny. Jonathan Ross kept quiet for the first two guests but he was really funny with Tom Cruise.
"Everybody was a bit surprised when he made the apology.
"Stephen Fry made a couple of jokes about it and everyone laughed."
Asked why he had made such a long journey to see the recording, the student added: "It's better than double maths."
GP Taylor: Why Jonathan Ross shouldn't be back on TV
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
