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Pope DVD could stir trouble
10/08/2005 12:06 - (SA)
London - A cartoon, which was banned from the BBC for its depiction of the pope as an immature brat, is set to cause new controversy after it was confirmed it would be released on DVD in Britain.
Popetown, which features the voices of comedienne Ruby Wax as the pontiff and model Jerry Hall as a fame-hungry nun, was commissioned for digital TV channel BBC Three, but deemed too offensive for broadcast last year.
The 10-part animation, commissioned in 2002 before the death of Pope John Paul II, also features corrupt cardinals, plotlines about bestiality and an elderly pope bouncing around the Vatican on a pogo stick.
Roman Catholic groups campaigned against the two million pound show, which also stars Mckenzie Crook of the cult series The Office and Matt Lucas from Little Britain.
They said attempts to belittle the spiritual leader of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church would be unacceptable to vast numbers of the viewing public in Britain, where six million people adhere to Catholicism.
Joseph Devine, the Bishop of Motherwell, southeast of Glasgow in Scotland, said: "Many Catholics view this as an irreverent, gratuitous and publicly funded attack on their faith."
"It is impossible to imagine a similar irreverent approach being taken to Islam or Judaism."
Television bosses relented last September and admitted they had always believed the project would tread the boundaries of taste.
BBC Three chief Stuart Murphy said at the time: "Once we saw the finished series it became clear that the programme fell on the wrong side of that line."
Phil Ox, the director of Popetown, which has already been aired in Australia and New Zealand, confirmed on Tuesday that the DVD will be released next month. He also branded lobbyists who forced the show off air "evil".
"I am glad that this DVD is finally out there," he said. "I should just remind everybody that viewing this show could destroy your soul."
- AFP
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South Africa
