"A writer who says that there are no truths, or that all
truth is
'merely relative,' is asking you not to believe him. So don't."
(Roger Scruton, philosopher)
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sad & unexpected news this month...
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*WARNING: POTENTIALLY OFFENSIVE CONTENT*
Following the broadcast of 'Jerry Springer – the Opera'
on
Saturday night on BBC 2 I have decided that I can no longer
be a
member of the BBC staff. I made my position clear to the
Director-General of the BBC, Mark Thompson on Friday morning.
Mark kindly took the time to telephone me on Friday evening
and
over the course of nearly 40 minutes we discussed the nature
of
the broadcast – which I had understood from news sources
such as
BBC Radio 4, bbc.co.uk, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph
to
contain elements that were clearly blasphemous in any ordinary
understanding of the word. Mark, however, persuaded me (if I
could bear it) to watch the broadcast before making any further
decision. 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.
Here are a few specific examples out of many – although
words
even now do not convey the offensiveness of these elements in
their context:
*The introduction of and dialogue with the Jesus figure
containing all kinds of abuse, insults, profanity and deliberate
mockery of the Lord’s Name.
*The ridiculing of the figure of Jesus on the Cross, dressed
to
imply sexual perversion.
*The repeated mockery of the wounds (stigmata) of Jesus, linked
to acts of crudeness.
*The singing of "Jerry eleison" as a contemptuous
travesty of an
act of worship.
As I understand it, the current legal definition of blasphemy
is
as follows:
"Every publication is said to be blasphemous which contains
any
contemptuous, reviling, scurrilous or ludicrous matter relating
to God, Jesus Christ, or the Bible, or the formularies of the
Church of England as by law established. It is not blasphemous
to
speak or publish opinions hostile to the Christian religion,
or
to deny the existence of God, if the publication is couched
in
decent and temperate language. The test to be applied is as
to
the manner in which the doctrines are advocated and not as to
the
substance of the doctrines themselves. Everyone who publishes
any
blasphemous document is guilty of the [offence] of publishing
a
blasphemous libel. Everyone who speaks blasphemous words is
guilty of the [offence] of blasphemy." (article 214 of
Stephen's
Digest of the Criminal Law, 9th ed., 1950 – confirmed by
Lord
Scarman, 1979, and the European Court of Human Rights, 1996)
Mark Thompson himself gave me an impromptu definition of
blasphemy which tallies well with the above.
One of the arguments used before the broadcast was that the
stage
show had not been attacked for blasphemy. My answer before
watching the show was that by the time the blasphemous elements
were introduced, any member of the audience would have been
so
desensitised by the continuous swearing and gross sexual
references that nothing would shock any longer. My answer after
watching the show is that anyone likely to pursue a case for
blasphemy would not have remained in the theatre long enough
to
witness it.
I am very proud to have been part of the BBC, one of the UK’s
most important institutions, and particularly to have worked
for
BBC Radio 3 (90-93FM) since 1992. I would like again to be part
of the BBC, but a corner has been turned. I feel a corporate
responsibility for what has happened – aggravated by the
fact
that we the BBC did not give sufficient attention to the
overwhelming level of listener protest in advance. The BBC was
intended to be a beacon of inspiration to the country. The Latin
inscription on Broadcasting House reads:
"This Temple of the Arts and Muses is dedicated to Almighty
God
by the first Governors of Broadcasting in the year 1931, Sir
John
Reith being Director-General. It is their prayer that good seed
sown may bring forth a good harvest and that the people,
inclining their ear to whatsoever things are beautiful and honest
and of good report, may tread the path of wisdom and
uprightness."
My prayer is Kyrie eleison.
Antony Pitts
Senior Producer, BBC Radio 3
9 January 2005
That was the full text of my statement. I should add that BBC
Radio 3 (90-93 FM) have collectively been incredibly supportive
of me in this moment of difficult decision - and I am hopeful
that this fruitful relationship may be restored.
