Comments | narnee: JER-RY! JER-RY! JER-RY!

narnee

JER-RY! JER-RY! JER-RY!

Jan 09, 2005 03:14

I saw Jerry Springer: The Opera on BBC2 tonight. There has been a lot of controversy over the airing with a record number of complaints (at least 7,361) to TV watchdogs for blasphemy and outcry ranging from raging church leaders to citizens burning their TV licences in protest. None of them had actually seen the production, of course ( Read more... )

reviews, tv, theatre

Comments 5

greylock January 9 2005, 04:34:17 UTC

Equating the supposed immaculate conception with rape by God and having Eve masturbating Jesus could be offensive to some people

Well, at least now I understand what the fuss was about.

"At least 7,361" is a pretty significant number, especially if the FCC in the US and places like Wal-Mart will respond to complaints "in the tens" (can't recall where I read that, but it was probably in the "Desperate Wives" fuss.

Did you see this?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200501/s1278971.htm
The BBC has called in police to investigate a torrent of abusive calls made to the homes of its senior executives before its broadcast of a profanity-laden opera, a BBC spokesman has said.

narnee January 18 2005, 06:20:03 UTC

Well, at least now I understand what the fuss was about.

They hadn't seen it. I could have understood the fuss if they had, but not on the basis of simply hearing that it was blasphemous without having proved it for themselves by watching the show and then complaining or burning their tv licences or whatever.

"At least 7,361" is a pretty significant number

It went up to 70,000. I don't know how many positive responses the BBC received but I did send one.

especially if the FCC in the US and places like Wal-Mart will respond to complaints "in the tens"

IIRC the BBC are obliged to reply to all complaints submitted directly to them or via programmes like Points of View, but they don't have to apologise or admit wrongness or anything like that unless the TV Complaints Commission or IIRC other tv regulatory body says that they do. I doubt that will happen in this case given the time Jerry Springer was shown and the disclaimers given at the beginning of each act and at the end of every commercial break.

Did you see this?

Yup.

redjanet January 9 2005, 11:14:16 UTC

i'd go with you. i watched it on tv for the first time last night as well and absolutely loved it! i agree with you about it going beyond all expectations.

lucybond January 9 2005, 12:53:14 UTC

I dunno, Eve briefly reached under Jesus' loin-cloth in an attempt to grope him, & he sprang back with a shocked expression. I doubt she could have got a good grip.

Oh my, what a thing to be debating.

I found the whole show very entertaining, & not just some kind of shock-attempt, as I feared it might be.

narnee January 18 2005, 06:22:37 UTC

I dunno, Eve briefly reached under Jesus' loin-cloth in an attempt to grope him, & he sprang back with a shocked expression. I doubt she could have got a good grip.

Hrm. It looked to me that Eve had her hand moving around in that general vicinity a little longer than for just a single grope.

Oh my, what a thing to be debating.

Indeed!