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Springer opera court fight fails Springer opera court fight fails
(10 minutes later)
The BBC will not be sued by Christian evangelists for blasphemy over screening Jerry Springer - The Opera in 2005, the High Court has ruled. A Christian group has lost its High Court battle to prosecute the BBC's director general over the screening of Jerry Springer - The Opera, in 2005.
Christian Voice director, Stephen Green, had hoped to overturn a previous ruling which forbade him from suing BBC director general Mark Thompson.Christian Voice director, Stephen Green, had hoped to overturn a previous ruling which forbade him from suing BBC director general Mark Thompson.
He had argued the musical contained images that "vilify God and the Bible". Mr Green said the show "clearly crossed the blasphemy threshold".
Last month judges said the court would consider the case. The BBC received 63,000 complaints about the show. Two judges ruled it was reasonable to conclude the play "in context" could not be considered as blasphemous.
They said the production "as a whole was not and could not reasonably be regarded as aimed at, or an attack on, Christianity or what Christians held sacred".
The BBC received a record 63,000 complaints when the musical - a satire based on US TV host Jerry Springer's controversial talk show - was broadcast on BBC Two in January 2005.
Solicitors for Christian Voice urged Lord Justice Hughes and Mr Justice Collins to allow the blasphemy prosecution to go ahead.
They also wanted to prosecute the show's producer Jonathan Thoday, who staged a nationwide tour of the show between October 2003 and July 2006.