TV satire upsets Church leaders

Press, 11 July 1980, Page 4

TV satire upsets Church leaders

Christchurch Church, leaders and other Christians have shared the angry reaction against the programme. “McPhail and Gadsby on Re-' ligion." Canon R. A. Lowe, the Vicar of Fendalton, said he refused to watch the programme because McPhail and Gadsby had been so “crude and grubby” in the "Danny La Rue Show.” However, his telephone had been “hot” with calls from parishioners complaining about the show. People had been verv hurt by it, he said. “According to what people have told me they were not even funny and lacked all the true ingredients of satire. The complete insensitivity to things which people hold sacred saddens me,” he said. Members of his parish had sent telegrams to the chairman of the Broadcasting Corporation (Mr lan Cross) complaining about the programme. Major E. Bridle, divisional commander of the Salvation Army in Christchurch, said many people had been angry after the television programme. The general feeling was that the Church was being attacked while there were steps in every other direction to protect civil liberties.

“Blasphemy is still unac-j ceptable to most people in; New Zealand,” said the dir-; ector of communication for; the Presbyterian Church, the Rev. M. J. Campbell, yester-j day. ; The Bishop of Nelson (the, Rt Rev. P. E. Sutton) agreed with him.

j While both agreed with the i Broadcasting Corporation’s j decision not to screen the i controversial “Death of a ! Princess,” both queried the L decision to screen the locally made production. The Rev. J. Colman, of the Catholic Communications Centre, said however, that the Church “had to have broad shoulders, to accept satire in the spirit in which it is meant.” The Broadcasting Corporation’s public affairs manager (Mr C. Martin) said yesterdav that there was a wide difference between “McPhail and Gadsby On . . ~ and “Death of a Princess. Television New Zealand received more than a dozen telephone complaints in Auckland and Christchurch and about 20 in Wellington after the show’ was screened. Five Wellington callers commended the programme. Some complainants found it difficult to reconcile the

Broadcasting Tribunal’s deicision not to show “ Death iof a Princess” because it • could offend Muslims, with ■ its screening of the McPhail | show which offended men- ! bers of churches in New Zea- , land. But. Mr Martin said, there was a wide difference between “on the one hand an internationally controversial documentary’ and on the other a locally produced satirical show.” i “One is a documentary’ I purporting to be a factual account.” Mr Martin said. He could not say ; f any action would be taken over the New Zealand show because no formal complaint had been received. Commenting on the criticism. David McPhail, who produces “McPhail and Gadsby” as well as writing for it and acting in it, said vesterday: “Obviously, satirists work among controversy and must, if they are domg their job. expect criticism. “It does seem far-fetched, though, to compare our show with ‘Death of a Princess.’ Ours is a good, safe show. After all. it is unlikely to have any effect whatsoever on supplies of oil from the Middle East.”