Jonathan Ross 'wants Brand on last show'

Jonathan Ross has invited Russell Brand to appear on the final episode of his BBC chatshow, according to reports today.

Sources say that the broadcaster wants to use his swan song edition as an opportunity to speak publicly about 2008's 'Manuelgate' scandal, which was sparked when he and Brand left offensive messages on Andrew Sachs's answerphone during a Radio 2 programme.

One insider told The Sun: "Jonathan and Russell are great friends but they've never really discussed what happened in public. So Jonathan thought that it was right that now the dust has settled he should be allowed to have Russell on and talk about Sachsgate with him."

Another told the Daily Mail: "You can imagine that Jonathan and Russell will be in high spirits - it will definitely be an interview not to be missed. It is surely Jonathan's way of putting two fingers up to the BBC."

However, a BBC source said that the move had not yet been approved by Ross's bosses, explaining: "The guests have not been booked. As always, we will have final say on the bookings."

Ross will leave the corporation when his current contract expires in July. Along with his chatshow, the 49-year-old has his own Radio 2 slot and fronts the BBC's film reviews programme.