Attenborough vs. Creationists

Sir David Attenborough, the British naturalist whose BBC documentaries have brought the wonders of hot animal-on-animal and plant-on-plant action to the world, is pissed off that his work has been edited in other countries to reflect creationist beliefs. The Dutch organization Evangelische Omroep (Evangelical Broadcasting) has aired Attenboroughs documentaries with all references to evolution and an over 6,000 year timeframe of the Earth removed. A consortium of over three hundred biologists have signed a petition to the BBC asking them to exert greater control over the content of their documentaries sold to foreign markets. Attenborough is particularly peeved since his name is still attached to the altered versions, completely misrepresenting his views (you know, the correct ones) about reality. The BBC says their policy is to allow up to five minutes of editing to all the broadcasts they sell in order to fit with the formats of other markets and that EO’s edits didn’t exceed that amount. However, you’d think that content would trump length when it comes to editing, simply to protect the BBC’s brand image. Just for one example, wouldn’t editing five minutes of disembodied alien sex from every episode of Torchwood ruin its chances of success overseas? We all know the answer to that question. More details here.