Jerry Springer - The Musical

Those bloomin' do-gooders are at it again. The BBC is to screen Jerry Springer - The Musical on Saturday night, packed with 8000 expletives. This is more than double the record held by C4 for screening Resevoir Dogs.

Fantastic the BBC is finally screening something different - and bringing a recent West End hit to TV screens - but those in the church, Mediawatch and the Conservatives love nothing better than kicking up a fuss ahead of the screening, with 15,000 complaints to the BBC and 4,500 to OFCOM already.

And if they hadn't kicked up a fuss, I wouldn't know it was on!

A couple of things that annoy me: "The Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, who speaks about broadcasting on behalf of the Church of England, complained that the BBC had refused to show him a tape of the show." He's complaining the BBC wouldn't let him have a tape of something that would offend him! He knows he won't like it, but I bet he'll watch it just to prove he doesn't like it!

One Tory MP claims that he is completly against Censorship - but Jerry Springer should only be available at the theatre, not on TV where poor "older children" could be watching.

The BBC have no plans to shelf the screening, like they did with sitcom Popetown.

Go for it BBC - give the public what they want - the freedom of choice!

I've no doubt that all the fuss being kicked up by the Mary Whitehouse brigade will make the show a huge ratings winner. When was the last time a BBC show got a front-page advert in The Sun?

#This is my Jerry Springer moment...#

The number of swear words is overstated. The figure quoted is the number of swear words in the script multiplied by the number of people who say/sing/shout that line.

I'm looking forward to it - though I originally saw the show with Michael Brandon in it and find it hard to believe that anyone other than Jerry Springer himself could do a better job. It'll be interesting to see how David Soul performs in the role.

I've only seen Soul do it and thought he was fantastic in the role.

I have emailed the BBC with my support and urge others to do the same.

So we're going with The Sun's policy of multiplying the number of times an expletive is sung by the number of people singing it?

The figure is widely reported, although as pointed out here, inaccurate.

I think it's funny.Take a gander at the POV message baord- full of comaplints by people who have only heard about this play through word of mouth- nothing else. Very funny actually, how the god brigade can moan about something they haven't seen.

The Suns figures are blatently incorrect, but I'm not sure that even they work out - front page it's '8000 curses' but then inside it's 2000 odd F-words and 500ish c-words.... what about the other 5500ish?

ITN have parked a satellite truck outside TVC this morning. Presumably they're expecting some protestors.

it's hardly a suprise, i mean, they *believe* in something they haven't seen. this behavour is entirely consistent with their stupid mindset.



indeed, those types should stick to what they know, and that is pre-teen blonde-haired boys in underpants.

Please, don't tar us all with the same brush. It is perfectly possible to be a member of the "God brigade" and not to take a high-and-mighty moral high-ground over this. Most fellow members of the 'brigade' that I know will probably quite sensibly just choose not watch it if they feel they will find it offensive.

True, I have had ONE campaigning e-mail from a Christian acquaintance of mine urging me to complain to the BBC (perhaps he just forwarded it to everyone in his address book without thinking about the irony of me being amongst them) but judging by the others I know, he does not represent the majority. Indeed the 15,000+ calls received by the BBC this morning do not represent a majority of practicing Christians in this country.

I recognise that there are parts of the Christian community who are trying to get the programme pulled, but there are plenty like me who have a sense of humour and are prepared to take it simply as piece of entertainment which we can either watch or not.

And indeed this comment represents none of the clergy that I know.