ARTISTIC expression was dealt a blow yesterday when weak-kneed executives at Classic FM decided to end its promotion of Eric Idle’s show Not the Messiah.
The show, which celebrates 40 years of Monty Python, was originally promoted on air and on the station’s website and was the subject of a competition for tickets to a screening, but was dropped by the head of the station after Stephen “Birdshit” Green orchestrated a campaign against the promotion of a ‘militant atheist production’.
Stephen 'Birdshit' Green armed with a Bible in godless Brighton (Photo Barry Duke)
Reacting to news that the national radio station had caved into demands from devotees of this vindictive bigot, the British Humanist Association’s campaign officer Pepper Harow said:
We are hugely disappointed by the judgement taken by the head of Classic FM to effectively ban promotion of this show. There are no blasphemy laws in this country anymore and this decision is entirely unjustifiable.
Just because some people may not like something, it doesn’t mean it should be banned. We live in a liberal democracy where all views should be heard, not just the ones we want to listen to. Hyper-sensitivity to one particular religion should not prevent the enjoyment by everyone else of perfectly legitimate music, art or drama.
Anger was also expressed over at Mediawatchwatch:
When we first read Stephen Green crowing on his website about his achievement in cancelling the promotion of Not the Messiah we assumed he was just kidding himself. Kidding himself is, after all, what he spends his life doing. But the British Humanist Association received confirmation yesterday that the channel did indeed drop the promotion because of complaints.
Perhaps Classic FM did not know that the complaints were from the notorious cancer charity blackmailing bigots who rose to fame by publishing the home addresses of TV producers on their website. Even so, that is still no excuse to cave so cravenly to the fundamentalist shut-up brigade.
Even some Christians are cringing over Classic FM’s cowardice.
You can contact Classic FM to tell them what you think of their decision here.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
March 25th, 2010 at 9:52 am
ClassicFM is not a BBC channel!
March 25th, 2010 at 10:04 am
Hey, check this out. Just had Rosalind Plowright OBE, who played Mandy (the mother of Brian) who is herself a Catholic, comment on my blog:
Classic FM stopped its promotion of Eric Idle’s show ‘Not the Messiah’ due to complaints the station received from Christian Voice.
How cool is that?
March 25th, 2010 at 11:06 am
Fixed that. Thanks, Barrie.
March 25th, 2010 at 11:19 am
These activists never worry about the effect that their actions have on other people’s livelihoods. Does anyone know what Stephen Green actually does for a living?
March 25th, 2010 at 11:51 am
We understand that he’s a farmer, BarrieJohn.
March 25th, 2010 at 11:56 am
You can ask him directly as he has just posted a comment on my blog:
http://blog.echurchwebsites.or.....ment-14480
It would appear that his activity is (and I quote) “Standing up for the Lord”.
Uh-Huh
March 25th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
#We understand that he’s a farmer, BarrieJohn.#
I wonder if he ever grows two different crops in the same field?
March 25th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
I wrote to Classic FM five minutes ago? I hope everyone else does. I asked them what they thought about Free Speech. I said they had lost me as a listener. If they respond I’ll let you know.
Every time that nutter Green gets some success it encourages him. I wonder what kind of farming he does? I wouldn’t care to have him responsible for my animals.
March 25th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
It’s like the Danish cartoons all over again, without the death threats…yet.
March 25th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Oh dear, Classic FM’s cowardly action has emboldened Green and his vile chums to pick another target. CFM is a crap station anyway, very Daily Mail; Radio 3 is much better!
I have complained to CFM and suggested they search the internet for examples of just how demented and bigoted Green and his mates are.
March 25th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Well it’s official then…. Christian FM.
March 25th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
I used to find ClassicFM quite enjoyable until they recruited Simon Bates to their ranks – another person, strangely enough, whom I can just imagine masturbating to the sound of his own voice. Maybe that’s what Green means by “standing up for the Lord”!
March 25th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
I sent my email to Classic FM
David
March 25th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
militant! militant! atheists.
Is the man completely insane? Since when has the military gone to war against theists? We were (and many places on the globe – still are) the ones being slaughtered by military people.
Swap that history book for a dictionary man!
Or did he mean that the production was military? Doesn’t he mean musical? A ‘
militantmusical atheist production’March 25th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
On a lighter note, just imagine the thoughts going through the executive who made the decision to scrap the competition.
The whole of the UK now knows that there is a person even more pathetic than Green himself.
Does anyone know the name of the executive who rubber stamped it?
March 25th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
gse, the term “militant” refers to somebody, or a group, being openly aggressive and combative, possibly willing to get violent to forward their agenda, rather than being of a military. To suggest that a musical production is part of an aggressive and potentially violent campaign is still ridiculous, though.
This is the sort of thing Dawkins refers to when he complains about the special, sacred place religion is given in a largely secular society in the UK. Should the ire of a few people unreasonably offended by something they don’t even understand affect how a company does business? And do Classic FM have the slightest care for the number of people their cowardly cave-in will drive away compared to the number that would have been offended by them choosing to promote a musical? I do wonder if the blind panic of “offending religion” means they don’t even care if the end result is actually detrimental to their business.
And you would think by now that these people complaining about the blasphemous nature of the show would have realised that he’s NOT the messiah… he’s a very naughty boy.
March 25th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
I’ve sent my email of complaint to Darren Henley, MD of Classic FM and asked him to have a change of heart. I’ve also been tormenting myself by having a look at Birdshit’s website. His advice on whom to vote for in the forthcoming election is rather enlightening – the BNP, UKIP and some unheard of xtian parties all seem, to varying degrees, to be preferable to the mainstream parties, which he claims are:
“…pro-EU, favouring that bastion of Antichrist which refused to put God into its constitution and is now pressing hard Europe-wide for policies enforcing ‘equality and diversity’. Not one of the three main parties is pro-life, although individual members may be. And each is stupidly pro-Islam, not seeing that Islam is not just Antichrist, denying His divinity, His incarnation and His resurrection, but anti-secularist as well.”
Equality and diversity – how terrible! And Classic FM gave in to this nutter? Kind of beggars belief.
March 25th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Message to Contradiction FM sent. Is this really the UK? Or have the Christian Taliban assumed control? Bloody ridiculous. Bad enough that they broadcast annoying adverts, without giving religiots something to wank themselves stupid over…
He’s not the messiah, just a f*cking moron!
March 25th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
I’ve sent of a complaint too.
I restrained myself from ranting about their use of Roger McGough to do their recorded links, etc. To be fiar they’re going to always look for somebody who has an image to lend to their station. Really my issue is with Roger McGough – a sell out and corporate whore. I emailed him when his voice became the voice of Classic FM letting him know I was dissapointed at this. He didn’t reply. He’s swapped some self respect for cash, as his right. I’ve opted to think considerably less of him, as is my right.
I also agree on the Simon Bates comment. He is smugness personified and I cannot tolerate his voice for a moment.
Radio 3 for me.
March 25th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
“Standing up for the Lord.”
As I recall, that was Hitler’s justification for his Final Solution.
March 25th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
While calling them spineless cowards in my complaint, I asked if they had a bumper sticker saying “I don’t listen to ClassicFM anymore.”
March 25th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
If “Almighty God” really is almighty, why does he need a twonk like Stephen Green to fight his petty squabbles for him? Could it be that smiting only works on ignorant primitives who don’t understand what causes the weather.
March 25th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Just received this response from Darren Henley. MD of Classic FM. Apparently, the campaign was due to end last weekend anyway, and no further spots were booked for this week. Seems their ‘capitulation’ had nothing to do with old birdshit. He’s claiming victory for something that would have happened anyway.
How very….honest of him.
“
Dear Tim,
Thank you for your email regarding “Not the Messiah”.
Following an email campaign, a number of incorrect views about Classic FM’s involvement in this event appear to have gathered momentum in the online community and I hope that you will allow me to take this opportunity to correct them:
1. Classic FM broadcast an advertising campaign for this event which ran from last Wednesday until last weekend. The station also ran a competition to win tickets to the event on the station’s website which also ended last weekend. No further advertising activity was booked to run either on-air or online after the weekend.
2. At no point did Classic FM ever intend to broadcast this event on air, nor did it ever enter into any negotiations to broadcast the event on air, so any assertion that any programme content has been withdrawn from broadcast is simply incorrect.
3. Classic FM has never been a financial supporter of this event and nor was it ever the promoter of the live event – and that relationship has in no way changed over the past week.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to correct these misconceptions. May I also take this opportunity to thank you for taking the trouble to get in touch. I do hope that you continue to enjoy listening to Classic FM’s programmes.
Yours sincerely,
Darren Henley
Managing Director
Classic FM”
March 25th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
We shall never know if CFM’s advertising campaign was in fact destined to finish last weekend or if CFM’s Director has found a neat way to please both camps of critics. Fair play to him for sending the email [I received it too]
March 25th, 2010 at 6:51 pm
@Stonyground: I think this all the time, mate! As with the Mohammedans – if their god is so almighty, why on earth is he incapable of defending himself against all these imagined slights? I was very nearly sick when I read this sanctimonious statement on Stephen Green’s Voice: “We give all the praise to God for the change of heart at Classic FM and we hope and pray they will be more discerning in future.”
So, you carry out an intense campaign of intimidation against someone and then “give all the praise to God” when they capitulate in the face of it – it’s ludicrous!!
March 25th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
I had a feeling all along that as the competition ended last weekend there would be no further promotion of the production, but then Green, being a religious retard, wouldn’t get that, would he? (Unless he was very smart, like some of those prophets of old, who predicted what they knew was going to happen in any case!)
March 25th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
PS At least Green has given further free publicity to the show. How often do they make THAT mistake then?
August 23rd, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Shovelling bullshit doesn’t automatically make him a farmer.