The BBC's internal watchdog has today ruled that the corporation was justified in broadcasting Jerry Springer - The Musical, concluding that its "outstanding artistic significance" outweighed the offence caused to thousands of Christians.

The BBC received 63,000 separate viewer complaints - 21 for each of its 3,000 sung or spoken obscenities - after it broadcast the critically-acclaimed but controversial musical in January.

The show, adapted from an award-winning West End musical, features a nappy-wearing Jesus declaring he was "a little bit gay", and described Mary as being "raped by God".

The Board of Governors’ five-strong Programme Complaints Committee today voted by a majority of four to one not to uphold the complaints or take any further action.

Angela Sarkis, a former vice-president of the African Caribbean Evangelical Alliance, broke ranks to vote against the majority. She said the religious references “would have been considered literal portrayal of holy figures by many people”.

Ms Sarkis sat on the panel alongside Richard Tait, a former ITN editor-in-chief, Professor Merfyn Jones, historian and broadcaster, Professor Fabian Monds, Northern Ireland representative and the ballet dancer Deborah Bull.

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