The Reunion

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The Reunion: Jerry Springer: The Opera

Jerry Springer: The Opera

BBC Radio 4 - The Reunion, Jerry Springer: The Opera

Kirsty Wark and guests recall the controversial hit musical Jerry Springer: The Opera.

Kirsty Wark brings together members of the original cast and crew of the hit musical Jerry Springer: The Opera, which sparked a culture war in the early 2000s.

In April 2003, a musical written by comedians Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee opened at the National Theatre in London. It took its inspiration from the controversial American talk show Jerry Springer and combined opera with profanity, musical theatre with "white-trash TV".

In the musical, Jerry was condemned to a life in purgatory, settling arguments between Satan and Jesus, Adam and Eve, then Mary and Jesus, all portrayed in the manner of deviant and unruly guests. 

The show swept the awards and stars including Oliver Stone and Harvey Keitel flocked to see it. But some thought the show was sacrilege.

When the BBC decided to screen Jerry Springer: The Opera in January 2005, it received a record 63,000 viewer complaints. The cast and crew found themselves bombarded with hate mail and had to cross picket lines to go into the theatre. BBC2 controller Roly Keating was forced into hiding.   

Kirsty is joined by composer and writer Richard Thomas, who had the initial idea for the show, and his co-writer and the show’s director Stewart Lee, who was brought to the brink of financial ruin by the protests. Mezzo Soprano Lore Lixenberg helped develop and played the roles of Peaches and Baby Jane and was with the production from its Battersea Arts Centre beginnings. David Bedella won an Olivier Award for his role as Warm-Up Man and Satan in the show. Married to a vicar at the time, David found himself a target for the Christian protesters. And there are two men who played Jerry Springer in the show - Michael Brandon who met and became friends with the real Jerry Springer as a result of his performance, and David Soul who played Jerry Springer during the show’s West End Run. 

Producer: Emily Williams
Series Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

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