Jonathan Ross says he was “genuinely unaware” of Walliams and Brand misconduct allegations

The Daily Mail leads on Jonathan Ross’s close, high-profile association with David Walliams and Russell Brand, foregrounding details of them socialising together alongside his claim he was unaware.

Daily Mail leads with the longstanding personal associations and high-profile outings, framing Ross’s statement alongside emphasis on Ross’s “friendship” with Walliams and Brand.

London Evening Standard foregrounds Ross’s reaction word-for-word (“horrified”) and stresses the context of the Guardian/ITV investigation into Walliams.

NME centers Ross’s wording, presenting his claims of horror and ignorance, and prominently includes the framing around the 2004 incident in its headline.

Deadline emphasizes Ross’s explanation and backstory about the 2004 “tasteless” joke, tying it to scrutiny over his past comments.

Manchester Evening News foregrounds Ross’s reaction and highlights his description of a “years-long friendship,” presenting context for why he is speaking out.

The Guardian combines Ross’s statement with background on the allegations and explicitly connects Ross’s 2004 joke to the present reporting, including legal-context references.

HuffPost UK leads with Ross “breaking silence” and includes detail on Brand’s conviction and Walliams’ attempt to prevent publicity via an injunction request that was denied (as described).

Metro keeps to a short lead around Ross reacting “horrified,” centring the key line about him being “genuinely unaware.”

The Evening Standard emphasizes Ross’s break of silence while centering the resurfaced footage and the 2004 British Comedy Awards detail.

BBC focuses on Ross’s core claims—“friendly” relationship and “genuinely unaware”—and balances the Walliams and Brand developments in a straightforward news summary.

Daily Mail foregrounds the “deeply shocking” joke details and specifically references Walliams’ role in Little Britain and the 2004 award framing in its headline.

The second Daily Mail item again leads on Ross’s reaction and the 2004 joke, repeating details about Little Britain and the British Comedy Awards setting.

The i (UK) leads with Ross “breaking silence” and emphasises his explanation of the “infamous” Walliams joke rather than only the reaction.

The Independent’s provided summary is empty, but it is listed as covering Ross’s relationship to Walliams and Brand; based on the snippet alone, its specific lead emphasis cannot be determined.