Why I find Ms Holden’s Superstar so offensive
Ascreeching and whooping Amanda holden taunts a baying crowd as she warns a couple of overweight, tuneless singers: ‘You two have one last chance to convince the Lord to save you.’
no, she hasn’t undergone a conversion into a fire-and-brimstone evangelical preacher.
she’s simply hosting yet another reality series — this time it’s Andrew Lloyd Webber’s search on iTV for someone to play Jesus christ superstar in a new production.
Miss holden was telling the crowd — and viewers at home — it was their chance to decide which of the two ‘Jesuses’ died and which would ‘survive’ to join the others on ‘ the stairway to heaven’.
And then we had her almost surreal announcement: ‘ After the break the phone lines will be open for you to save the Jesus of your choice.’
now, i don’t have strong religious feelings, but i can’t be alone in feeling deeply uneasy about this tawdry trivialisation of christianity.
You can be sure that TV bosses would never have approved a reality show that so debased the islamic prophet Muhammad — or the leading figure from any other religion.
iTV’s decision to screen this ghastly show — whose ratings are unsurprisingly plummeting — is just a further indication of how the metropolitan classes who make such programmes see nothing wrong with the way christianity is marginalised in this country. earlier this year, for example, the high court ruled that a council acted unlawfully by allowing prayers at the start of meetings — a ruling that could affect countless councils across england and Wales.
The ruling came after a number of cases such as that of BA worker nadia eweida — a devout christian who was sent home by her bosses in 2006 after she refused to stop wearing a small silver crucifix.
it took until last week, a full six years later, for David cameron to vow he would change the law so that believers could wear a modest crucifix at work.
he was shamed into long-overdue action on this issue after being pressed on the matter in the house of commons by high-profile Tory MP David Davis.
There used to be a time in Britain when we respected other people’s beliefs rather than poured scorn on them — as Amanda holden does in her tacky and offensive show.