BBC Sparks Christian Row as Jerry Springer Opera Complaints Declined

The Governors' Program Complaints Committee (GPCC) of the British Broadcasting Cooperation (BBC) has rejected on Wednesday the complaints regarding the controversial musical "Jerry Springer - The Opera". The musical, which was broadcast on BBC2 in January, has been criticised by Christian evangelicals as exceedingly blasphemous. BBC’s decision has immediately sparked a row.

Despite the massive protest launched by a 500-strong group of evangelicals earlier this year in a bid to stop the screening of the programme, BBC still went ahead with the airing of the programme and outraged many Christians.

The opera is based on Jerry Springer’s American talk show and features more than 3,000 swear words. There are scenes that depict Jesus engaging the Devil in a swearing match, a gay Jesus, and even Eve discussing sex acts. BBC received around 55,000 complaints prior to the screening and 8,000 after the first show.

Today the five-member BBC body that investigates complaints, the GPCC, voted 4-1 NOT to uphold the complaints and it has stated that the programme did not breach broadcasting guidelines. "In all the circumstances, the outstanding artistic significance of the programme outweighed the offence which it caused to some viewers and so the broadcasting of the programme was justified," the GPCC said.

Stephen Green, National Director of the evangelical group Christian Voice, told BBC News after today’s ruling that he was "very disappointed" with the governors' decision. Christian Voice has spearheaded the campaign against the show.

"It's a complete aberration of their responsibility in my view," he said, "They have just exonerated the producers for putting on the most blasphemous thing ever to be shown on the BBC."

Christian Institute’s spokesman Mike Judge, in response to Wednesday's decision, said to BBC News, "We still feel the broadcast went against the Royal Charter and discriminated against Christians in a way they would not discriminate against any other religion."