[Article] Popetown

alleepally

Don't know if anyone had heard of this before but as reported today it's "too hot" for the BBC.

---

Axed Pope cartoon may end up on Channel 4

John Plunkett
Monday October 4, 2004

The Guardian
It's the sitcom that the BBC dares not show. But Popetown, its controversial animated comedy starring Ruby Wax and Jerry Hall, could still make it to the small screen - on Channel 4.

Popetown was dropped by the BBC3 controller, Stuart Murphy, after more than 6,000 Catholics complained before they had even seen it. The 10-part series had been completed at an estimated cost of £2.4m when the decision was made to drop it last month.

Now its producer, Channel X, whose credits include BBC2's Shooting Stars, is in talks with other broadcasters about taking the show. They include Channel 4, for whom the company made The Last Resort with Jonathan Ross and produces music show All Back to Mine.

Channel X executives have refused to comment further on the show since it was dropped. In a statement, the company's managing director, Alan Marke, said he was "incredibly disappointed" since he was proud of the project and the talent involved.

But he added: "I understand the world has changed since the series was originally commissioned and sympathise with the difficult decision the BBC has had to take."

Any switch to another channel is likely to be complicated, with negotiations over future rights to the show still the subject of negotiations between Channel X and the BBC. The show is also being sold overseas this week by BBC Worldwide at the Mipcom international TV festival in Cannes.

Mr Murphy's decision to drop the show came two weeks after the BBC director general, Mark Thompson, a practising Catholic, discussed the programme with the Archbishop of Birmingham, Vincent Nichols, and his press secretary, Peter Jennings.

"Despite all the creative energy that has gone into this project and the best efforts of everyone involved, the comic impact of the delivered programme does not outweigh the potential offence it will cause," said Mr Murphy. "It has been an extremely difficult and complex decision to make.

"There is a fine judgment line in comedy between the scurrilously funny and the offensive... unfortunately once we saw the finished series it became clear that the programme fell on the wrong side of that line."

Popetown features Wax as the voice of a fictional Pope, who bounces around the Vatican on a pogo stick and is surrounded by a gang of backstabbing cardinals. The series also stars Little Britain's Matt Lucas, MacKenzie Crook from The Office, Big Train's Kevin Eldon and Morwenna Banks, who was one of the voices behind another BBC3 animation Monkey Dust.

sceptre

alleepally wrote:

a fictional Pope, who bounces around the Vatican on a pogo stick

Oh I must see this.

Recent thread here by the way

alleepally

Ooops. Should have put it as an update to the original

Hey sceptre, how does it feel to be a glorious beacon of light

mike65

alleepally wrote:

Mr Murphy's decision to drop the show came two weeks after the BBC director general, Mark Thompson, a practising Catholic, discussed the programme with the Archbishop of Birmingham, Vincent Nichols, and his press secretary, Peter Jennings.

If that had read RTE director general and Archbishop of Dublin we'd proberly be up in arms about a return to 50s Ireland and book banning. Thompson shoud resign.

Mike.

sceptre

alleepally wrote:

Hey sceptre, how does it feel to be a glorious beacon of light

Odd, you're the third person to comment on that today. Feels the same but I get toast and tea delivered in the morning now. Another few dots and I'm hoping for some rashers.


I missed the bit about the BBC DG having a little discussion over tea and crumpets with the nearest available cassock-wearer. Doubt he gave Murphy a cuppa when it came up for discussion.