BBC Abruptly Pulls Ozzy Final Years Documentary

The BBC One documentary "Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home," which explores the final years of the rock star's life, was abruptly pulled from the network's schedule on Monday, mere hours before it was due to broadcast.

BBC confirmed that while the program had been planned for Monday evening, its airing has been delayed, with no explanation or new broadcast date provided.

Osbourne died July 22 at the age of 76, just two weeks after taking the stage for his final performance at Villa Park, his hometown soccer stadium in Birmingham, England. The documentary has been described as a "moving and inspirational account" of the last three years of the rock icon's life.

"The resulting film is a moving portrait of one of the world's most entertaining families at a pivotal moment in their history," reads a description of the film. "The strength of Ozzy and Sharon's love for one another and their kids' devotion to them is palpable. So too is the family's acceptance of Ozzy becoming increasingly unwell."

The documentary was initially conceived as a look at the Osbourne family's return to England after many years in Los Angeles, intended as a follow-up to their popular MTV reality series, "The Osbournes," which aired from 2002 to 2005. The project, first proposed in 2002 under the working title "Home to Roost" as a reality-style series, gradually shifted focus as Osbourne's health worsened, impacted by Parkinson's disease and multiple surgeries on his neck and spine.

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."

According to BBC, the documentary captures Osbourne's determined efforts to perform at the star-studded "Back to the Beginning" show, featuring both solo and Black Sabbath sets, while also showing intimate family moments as his children come to terms with his declining health.

"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, told BBC.

Ben Wicks and Colin Barr, executive producers at Expectation, described the film as "inspiring and poignant."

"Ozzy was loved by millions around the world not just for his music, but for his sense of mischief and his honesty, all of which we saw plenty of in the final years of his life," they said.

"But one thing shone through even more brightly to us and that was Ozzy's intense love for his exceptional family who were by his side through it all."

• Ozzy Osbourne Died of a Heart Attack, Death Certificate Reveals
• TMZ's Levin to Newsmax: Ozzy Osbourne's Life Was 'a Triumph'