A senior BBC radio producer has quit in protest after the corporation broadcast the controversial musical Jerry Springer - the Opera, saying it was blasphemous and offensive to his Christian faith. Antony Pitts, a senior producer at BBC Radio 3, handed in his resignation after watching the BBC2 broadcast of Jerry Springer - the Opera, despite two personal interventions by director general Mark Thompson trying to persuade him to stay. Mr Pitts revealed he had threatened to leave on Friday, before the programme had gone out, but was persuaded to reserve judgment and watch it for himself in a 40-minute phone call with Mr Thompson. But despite Mr Thompson's pleas, repeated at a meeting this week, Mr Pitts decided after watching the award-winning musical that it was even more offensive than he had feared. "Having now watched the show in its entirety and the hour-long introductory broadcast, my conclusion was that the blasphemy was far, far worse than even the most detailed news reports had led me to believe," Mr Pitts wrote in the letter, to the controller of Radio 3, Roger Wright.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0%2C11711%2C1388628%2C00.html


Paisley Joins Protest Over Springer Show
Members of various Christian organizations burn copies of TV licenses in protest at the decision by the BBC to broadcast the West End musical production of Jerry Springer - The Opera, outside BBC Television Center in west London, January 7, 2005. The public broadcaster has been inundated with more than 20,000 complaints after it revealed it would broadcast the show, which contains 3,000 swear words, on BBC 2 on January 8. REUTERS/Stephen Hird
The stage was set outside BBC headquarters in Belfast on Saturday for an 'unholy' row over the screening of Jerry Springer - The Opera. Leader of the Free Presbyterian Church Dr Ian Paisley joined outraged Christians as they protested against the Beeb's decision to broadcast the controversial operatic comedy, based on Springer's show, on Saturday night. During the protest, which began at noon and continued that evening, Mr Paisley handed in a letter of complaint to BBC management about the swearing and references to Jesus in the programme. One of the protesters, Russell Mallon, who described himself as "a concerned Christian", claimed the musical was blasphemous and ungodly as it portrayed God as an adulterer and Christ as a homosexual. Christian groups across the UK held similar gatherings outside BBC buildings and the corporation received around 45,000 calls of complaint and letters of objection to the screening of the opera, which starred former Starsky & Hutch actor David Soul as Jerry Springer.
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