A senior BBC Radio producer has quit in protest over the Beeb's screening of 'Jerry Springer - The Opera' last weekend. Radio
3 producer Antony Pitts announced his intention to quit over the screening of the controversial stage show last Friday, but was persuaded by BBC Director General Mark Thompson to hold off from making his decision until he had seen the show. Pitts watched the show, decided it was even more offensive to his
Christian faith that he expected, and resigned on Monday.
In his resignation letter to Radio 3 controller Roger Wright Pitts wrote: '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'. He then set out why, in his mind, the musical is blasphemy on numerous levels.
Mark
Thompson stands by his previously stated opinion that he does not believe the show to be blasphemous: "I am a practising
Christian but there is nothing in this which I believe to be blasphemous'.