Gervais: Sachs row "devastated" Ross

Ricky Gervais has revealed that Jonathan Ross was devastated by the Andrew Sachs scandal and knows his behaviour was unacceptable.

The Office star told The Sun that he spoke to a remorseful Ross in the immediate wake of the lewd BBC Radio 2 prank call he and Russell Brand made to the Fawlty Towers actor.

Gervais said: "It did go too far, yes. Jonathan was devastated. I've spoken to him a few times and he knows he was in the wrong. The whole thing got blown out of proportion. Obviously what they did was wrong. It wasn't very funny.

"They could have sworn a hundred times and said some other ridiculous things and that would have been okay. But it was about a human being. The sex and the baying for blood and all that. It was wrong. But they do know that now. Jonathan has apologised. He knew he made a mistake - but he didn't kill anyone."

Gervais said Ross, who was suspended from the BBC for 12 weeks, has a "strong character" and will be able to bounce back from the incident following his reinstatement at the corporation on January 24.