Interesting how Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand handled their comebacks over the last week. Brand, who has just set out on a UK tour, got a big chunk of his act out of it. His excitable singing of  "I am the News!" to the theme tune of News At Ten was a particular highlight.

Jonathan Ross, on the other hand, walked onstage on Friday's night's (pre-recorded) BBC1 show, said "Now, where were we" and after a little bit of seriousness got on with business as usual. Although he still couldn't resist a crack when he was interviewing Tom Cruise, suggesting that if the film star ever wanted to get some time off Ross could give him some tips on how to get it.

So while Brand was being as playfully naughty as ever, Ross, initially at least, seemed a little restrained. When he quizzed the frankly bland Cruise on his bedroom behaviour he was referring to how he dealt with flatulence, not prying into conjugal matters.

Yet now it seems that Ross has been targetted as an over-paid public enemy number one yet again. There has been a flurry of outrage over a gag on his Saturday morning R2 show about an elderly woman with Alzheimers disease having sex. Is he about to find himself in hot water again just as the last boiling point has cooled off?

This is all getting a little ridiculous. If Ross really is as offensive as some suggest then the people who don't like that sort of thing need not listen to it. They should know what to expect. Though having said that a few questions remain unanswered. In this age of broadcasting transparency, I've not heard whether Ross's radio show was pre-recorded just to be on the safe side. Then again, the original Sachsgate incident was pre-recorded and that still went out.

The trouble is that Ross – and Brand – make a living out of talking. Both gabble away as fast as an express train and maybe it is no surprise that their mouths open before their brain engages. Sometimes express trains go off the rails.  If Ross was rude again on Saturday morning, this is less to do with him being outrageous and more to do with the fact that like Brand, his mental edit button doesn't always work as quickly as it should.. 

We all say things we regret. Because of Ross's popularity – and also now, his notoriety – people are listening to him closer than ever. And in bigger numbers. Friday night's BBC1 return notched up an extra million viewers. I would imagine if a group of tabloid reporters heard every word most of us said we'd all be in the doghouse on a regular basis. I suppose the real trouble is that the rest of us don't have an £18 million contract with the BBC. I don't think the fact that Ross pushing the boundaries of taste is anything to do with fatcat arrogance, it is more to do with the fact that sometimes he simply doesn't know when to shut up. The problem the Beeb is going to have is that if his ratings stay as sky-high as they were last Friday, they might have to pay him even more when his contract is up for renewal.