Ozzy Osbourne's Documentary Scrapped: Kids Reportedly Reject BBC's 'Dark' Take on Singer's 'Ghoulish' Farewell

A BBC documentary about Ozzy Osbourne's final months was pulled from the network's schedule just hours before its broadcast after his family raised objections to its tone, calling it "ghoulish and cynical."

The film, Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home, had been slated to air on BBC One and iPlayer on Aug. 18 but was replaced by the arts program Fake or Fortune. It was billed as an intimate look at the Black Sabbath frontman's farewell to fans, including his return to the United Kingdom after more than two decades in Los Angeles and his final concert in Birmingham on July 1, just weeks before his death at age 76.

Sources close to the family said Sharon Osbourne and the couple's children believed the documentary shifted focus away from celebrating Ozzy's life and career, instead emphasizing his declining health and final days.

"The family felt the whole thing had been rushed and turned into something ghoulish," one insider told RadarOnline. "It looked like the BBC wanted to beat a rival film to air rather than focus on Ozzy's story."

The project had been adapted from a BBC series, Home to Roost, which originally followed the Osbournes' move back to their Buckinghamshire estate. After the rocker's death from complications linked to Parkinson's disease, producers re-edited the footage into a feature-length program.

Family members were said to be particularly uncomfortable with the inclusion of one of the couple's final joint interviews and footage of Ozzy's last public appearances.

A BBC spokesperson said only that the program had been "moved in the schedules" and would air at a later date. "New premiere details will be shared in due course," the spokesperson added.

The postponed film was expected to highlight Osbourne's efforts to deliver a final performance despite chronic pain and years of health struggles. During his July concert at Villa Park, he thanked fans for their support, telling the crowd, "I don't know what to say, man, I've been laid up for like six years ... thank you from the bottom of my heart. You're all f------ special."

In what would be his final interview, Osbourne described the show as his "final encore," saying he wanted to return "to the beginning" to close his career where it started.

Tags

Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne