Oh brother! Ross suddenly seems good value

SUDDENLY, as he walks out of Broadcasting House, there's a flood of residual warmth towards Jonathan Ross. Was five-and-a-bit million over three years really such an offensively golden lump while bankers still roam the earth? Can the demands of public service stringency be any better served at an ITV released from its regional news or at Channel Four, where Wossy may soon rest his beleaguered head? Such conundrums are best pondered, perhaps, during the commercial breaks of two more weeks with Celebrity Big Brother . Vinnie Jones, clogger supreme, is reportedly taking home £350,000 for his stint in the house – roughly double the PM's salary for a whole year. Meanwhile, the ­ Russian waitress famous for sleeping with Ronnie Wood nets £75,000. Compare and contrast your reviled local MP's take-home pay. Over at Four, the hardworking Ross may soon look underpaid on a per-hour basis. But then, for all the tabloid vitriol flowing his way, he's just plain funny – not playing funny peculiar in a freak show the redtops still love.