BBC drops controversial satire

The BBC has been accused of lacking ‘backbone’ after pulling a controversial episode of Time Trumpet.

The corporation had previously defended Armando Iannucci’s satire when it was attacked over its ‘sick’ and ‘disgraceful’ content, including mock footage of a plane crashing into the Houses of Parliament, below, and a photograph of an assassinated Tony Blair.

When the Daily Mail and MPs raised the protest earlier this month, the BBC said: ‘The scenarios are so ludicrous that viewers will immediately recognise them as satire’.

However, the corporation dropped Thursday’s edition focussing on terrorism, and containing some of the controversial sketches, from the BBC Two schedules.

They said ‘Our concern, at this state of heightened alert, is for viewers who do not know what to expect and misunderstand the show.’

But the Independent On Sunday’s media diary column today asked: ‘Is the BBC backing down in the face of terrorism?  What backbone.’

And Iannucci used his Observer column to complain about media hysteria and hypersensitivity about terrorism.

>> Armando Iannucci's column

Published: 20 Aug 2006