The BBC revealed that it postponed airing a one-hour documentary on Ozzy Osbourne after a last-minute request from his family.
Originally scheduled for broadcast on Monday, the film, which focused on the musician's final years, was abruptly withdrawn from the listings. The BBC offered no explanation for the move at the time, which came less than a month after Ozzy Osbourne's death. However, a spokesperson has since told The Guardian that the decision was made in response to the Osbourne family's wishes.
"Our sympathies are with the Osbourne family at this difficult time," the spokesperson said. "We are respecting the family's wishes to wait a bit longer before airing this very special film. The new [broadcast] date will be confirmed shortly."
The BBC had already reworked the documentary as Ozzy Osbourne's health worsened. It was first planned as a ten-part series called "Home to Roost," following Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne's return to life in the U.K.
That idea was later scrapped, and the project was reshaped into a single film, focusing on Ozzy Osbourne's fight to regain the strength to perform while grappling with his illness.
"We hope it brings comfort and joy to Ozzy's fans and viewers as they remember and celebrate his extraordinary life," BBC's head of documentary commissioning, Clare Sillery, said.
The corporation recently stated that the documentary would go ahead, but on Monday, in a statement to US Weekly, a BBC spokesperson said that "the film has moved in the schedules and we'll confirm new [transmission] details in due course."
Ozzy Osbourne died last month at the age of 76, only weeks after performing from a throne on stage at Villa Park. He revealed in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
A death certificate obtained by The New York Times revealed that Ozzy Osbourne died of a heart attack and had suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.