TV show featuring gay sex, murder and Mother Teresa under fire

London, Oct 12 : The BBC is facing criticism over its consent for broadcasting a shocking new TV drama, called 'Apparitions,' featuring gay sex, murder and Mother Teresa.

The six-part series about exorcism, to be screened next month, was the idea of housewives' favourite Martin Shaw, who also stars in it as a Roman Catholic priest.

Graphic scenes in the prime time drama include a man possessed by the devil and being skinned alive in a gay sauna.

In another episode, a father is shown threatening a sexual assault on his daughter.

The drama features a scene of Mother Teresa on her death bed, her mind seemingly inhabited by demons.

"I don't want this drama to offend, it's just a story," the Daily Express quoted Shaw, as saying.

However, when asked whether the Mother Teresa scene depicted her being exorcised, he said: "She was exorcised before she died. I don't think that's as unusual as it sounds. The Catholic Church would say, and I agree, that the more holy they are, the more likely they are to come under attack.

"Christ spent 40 days in the desert and was hideously attacked by Satan. The scene is not against Mother Teresa or her message," he added.

Catholic bishops suggested the scriptwriters and production company, to help them portray the exorcism accurately but they denounced the finished version as "shocking".

A spokesman for the Catholic Bishops' Conference said: "I will not watch the drama myself, it is not tasteful.

"I haven't seen it but people might well be shocked. I have to stress, it is a work of fiction. The Catholic Church would not have chosen the drama form to explain the issue of exorcism," he added.

Mediawatch-UK, formerly the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association which was run by Mary Whitehouse, warned that the graphic sexual and religious scenes will cause outrage.

"This series is likely to be a clear breach of the Broadcasting Code," said Mediawatch-UK director John Beyer.

"I'm surprised the BBC consented to a show like this as a way of depicting the battle between good and evil. There must be better ways of doing that.

"They've got people sitting on crucifixes. It will cause very serious offence. This will create the same type of furore the BBC caused when it screened Jerry Springer The Opera," he added.

ANI