| Popetown |
The Popetown DVD Cover | | Format | Animated sitcom | | Starring | Bob Mortimer,
Ruby Wax,
Morwenna Banks,
Jerry Hall,
Matt Lucas,
Kevin Eldon,
Simon Greenall, | | Country of origin | UK | | No. of episodes | 10 | | Production | | Running time | approx. 24 minutes (per episode) | | Broadcast | | Original channel | BBC | | Original run | June 8, 2005 – | | External links | | Official website | | IMDb profile | Popetown is a controversial animated sitcom following the doodles and scribblings of a student at school during a lesson. His drawings depict the life of Father Nicholas, who lives in a Vatican City parody referred to as "Popetown". He is charged with being the handler for the Pope (who is always referred to by his title, and never given any name) who is a complete nincompoop with the emotional and mental maturity of a four-year-old. Father Nicholas must keep the Pope out of trouble, and make sure the general public does not find out that the Holy Father is a drooling idiot. Other characters include a priest who is a sexual deviant, and a trio of corrupt cardinals who secretly run the Vatican and attempt to get rich behind the Pope's back. These and other elements caused the show to be extremely controversial. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Animation refers to the process in which each frame of a film or movie is produced individually, whether generated as a computer graphic, or by photographing a drawn image, or by repeatedly making small changes to a model (see claymation and stop motion), and then photographing the result. ...
A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ...
For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...
is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Animation refers to the process in which each frame of a film or movie is produced individually, whether generated as a computer graphic, or by photographing a drawn image, or by repeatedly making small changes to a model (see claymation and stop motion), and then photographing the result. ...
A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ...
Ruby Wax is the voice actor for The Pope and Matt Lucas of Little Britain fame provides the voice for one of the cardinals. Ruby Wax (born Ruby Wachs on April 19, 1953) is an American comedienne who made a career in the United Kingdom as part of the alternative comedy scene in the 1980s. ...
Pope John Paul II has reigned since 22 Oct 1978. ...
Matthew Richard Lucas (born March 5, 1974) is an English comedy actor. ...
This article is about the British TV show Little Britain. ...
For other uses, see Cardinal (disambiguation). ...
The series was originally commissioned by the BBC in the UK, but was dropped from scheduling without a screening in the wake of protests from Roman Catholics. The premiere screened on New Zealand's C4 television network on June 8, 2005. Despite never being shown on British television, it was eventually released on DVD in the UK by Revolver Entertainment on 5 September 2005, in Australia by Roadshow Entertainment and in Germany by Polyband. It is also currently aired on MTV Latin America. For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...
The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...
C4 is a music television station operating in New Zealand and owned by Canwest MediaWorks NZ, a company 70% owned by Canadian broadcasting conglomerate Canwest. ...
is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Revolver Entertainment is a multi-award winning, marketing led, all rights film distribution company based in the UK. Most notably they have released; French noir thriller 13 Tzameti, Werner Herzog’s award-winning Grizzly Man, urban drama Kidulthood, Sundance and Venice award winner A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints starring...
is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
MTV Latin America (also known as MTV Latino or MTV Latin) is a cable television network aimed at residents in Latin American countries. ...
Controversy
New Zealand The Catholic Church in New Zealand is considering laying a complaint to the Broadcasting Standards Authority. Bishops have called for a boycott of all CanWest television and radio stations. C4 had received many complaints about the show but refused to pull it from its lineup. The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ...
The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) is a New Zealand Crown Entity created by the Broadcasting Act 1989 to develop and uphold standards of brodcasting for radio, free-to-air and pay television. ...
C4 is a music television station operating in New Zealand and owned by MediaWorks NZ. The station was originally named TV4, a station for an 18-30 year-old audience featuring a mix of programmes. ...
Germany In Germany, MTV broadcast the first episode on 3 May 2006. After an advertisement was published at the start of the Holy Week featuring Jesus in a chair watching TV (with the heading "laugh instead of hanging around"), both MTV and the series drew sharp criticism from some Christians in Germany, and became a topic of public debate, even though few have had the opportunity to see the show. This article is about the original U.S. music television channel. ...
is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Holy Week (Latin: ) in Christianity is the last week of Lent. ...
This article is about Jesus of Nazareth. ...
The Christian Churches as well as the Jewish and Muslim Community and conservative politicians demanded that MTV withdraw the series. An evangelical magazine has put up an anti-Popetown website, www.stoppt-popetown.de. The Archbishop of Munich and the parliamentary leader of the conservative CSU party in Bavaria demanded criminal prosecution of those responsible for the series under § 166 of the Penal Code, the "blasphemy clause". Edmund Stoiber, leader of the CSU, also demanded more severe punishments for slander of religious feelings. The Christian Social Union of Bavaria ( ) is a Christian democratic political party in Germany. ...
For other uses, see Bavaria (disambiguation). ...
Manfred van H. a. ...
For the black metal band, see Blasphemy (band). ...
Edmund Stoiber in Würzburg Edmund Stoiber [IPA: ˈɛtmÊŠnt ˈʃtÉ”ÊbÉ] (born September 28, 1941) is a German politician, currently minister-president of the state of Bavaria and chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU). ...
Nondenominational organizations like the IBKA and others argued that satire must be allowed and censorship must not take place. Supporters of the series brought forward the argument that Popetown cannot be forbidden, just as the Muhammad cartoons are allowed for reasons of press freedom. The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after twelve editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005. ...
After a discussion on MTV, which ended up with some 87% of online voters supporting broadcast, MTV decided to broadcast all of the other episodes. The experts taking position in the show said they would not broadcast it, but also not forbid it.
Currently the series is at its first rerun in Germany. The protests have officially completely disappeared from the media.
United States The series has yet to be broadcast or released on DVD in the United States, but it has spread by word-of-mouth, YouTube, or file sharing networks. In the April 20, 2006 edition of his weekly column, Parents Television Council founder L. Brent Bozell wrote an article criticizing Viacom for airing this anti-Christian series on MTV Germany as well as allowing a scene defacing Jesus Christ in the episode of the American animated series South Park, "Cartoon Wars Part II". In America, South Park is broadcast on the Viacom network Comedy Central. YouTube is a popular video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. ...
File sharing is the activity of making files available to other users for download over the Internet, but also over smaller networks. ...
The Parents Television Council (PTC) is a US-based self-proclaimed nonpartisan[1], nonprofit organization founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III whose stated goal is to promote and restore responsibility to the entertainment industry. ...
L. Brent Bozell III is the founder and president of the Media Research Center and president of the Parents Television Council. ...
Viacom (NYSE: VIA) (NYSE: VIAb) is an American media conglomerate with various worldwide interests in cable and satellite television networks (MTV Networks and BET), and movie production and distribution (the Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks movie studios). ...
MTV Central, also regularly called MTV Germany, is a regional version of MTV for the German-speaking countries of Central Europe - Germany, Austria, Switzerland. ...
Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...
This article is about the TV series. ...
Cartoon Wars Part II is episode 143 of South Park which aired on April 12, 2006. ...
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel in the United States. ...
Lithuania In March 2007, the MTV Baltics network was fined 3,000 litas by the Lithuanian broadcasting regulator for airing the animation. In response, MTV series director Marius Veselis accused Lithuania of unmasking itself as a "sort of half-medieval, half-communist, sick culture".[1]
Staff
Writers The show was written by a combination of seven different writers: Phil Ox also served as director and producer for the series. Eldon as evil hypnotist in Big Train Kevin Eldon ( b. ...
James Bachman ( b. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Mark Evans may refer to: Mark Evans, a pioneering Young British Artist who’s work explores contemporary life and culture. ...
David Quantick (born 1961, Wortley, South Yorkshire) is a freelance journalist, writer and critic who specialises in music and comedy. ...
Core Cast Robert Bob Renwick Mortimer (born May 23, 1959 in Middlesbrough, England), is an English comedian and actor who is best known for his double act with Vic Reeves (see Vic and Bob). ...
Ruby Wax (born Ruby Wachs on April 19, 1953) is an American comedienne who made a career in the United Kingdom as part of the alternative comedy scene in the 1980s. ...
Morwenna Banks (born 1964 in Flushing, Cornwall, England) is a British actress and comedian. ...
Jerry Hall at the Lighthouse Gala auction in aid of Terrence Higgins Trust. ...
Matthew Richard Lucas (born March 5, 1974) is an English comedy actor. ...
Eldon as evil hypnotist in Big Train Kevin Eldon ( b. ...
Simon Greenall is a British actor and writer. ...
Ben Miller (born 1966) is a British comedian, director and actor. ...
See Also Many times a television series will only run for a single season or, in rarer cases, just one episode. ...
Episode list - Episode 1: The Double
- Episode 2: State Visit
- Episode 3: The Big Fight
- Episode 4: Trapped
- Episode 5: Possessed
- Episode 6: The Beautiful Game
- Episode 7: A Family Affair
- Episode 8: Career Opportunity
- Episode 9: Day Trip
- Episode 10: Derby Day
Notes and references - ^ http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411319/1032596
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