The ITC received seven complaints from viewers regarding Michael Jackson’s Christ-like pose in his Brit Awards performance. Seeming to agree with Jarvis Cocker, the viewers complained that “the apparently religious overtones of Jackson’s performance were offensive”.
The complaints, reported in the ITC’s March report, were not upheld because the precise meaning of the performance was purely speculative. The ITC believed that it could have represented, in the context of the song, a “messenger on behalf of disadvantaged people and environmental causes.” It did not breach any Programme Code.
There were also 65 complaints regarding an advertisement for Playboy TV on Christian radio station Premier, which were upheld on the grounds of taste and decency. There was a similar complaint regarding L!ve TV’s ‘Stand Up Live’ programme, which featured a male comedian dressed as a woman and pouring scorn on born-again Christians.
ITC: 0171 255 3000
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