Singer’s family ‘angered’ and ‘disrespected’ by portrayal of Jackson, played by Joseph Fiennes, in satirical series Urban Myths 
 
 Sky have pulled the broadcast of an episode of their satirical series Urban Myths after Michael Jackson’s children said they were sickened and offended by the portrayal of their father, played by Joseph Fiennes. 
 
 Paris-Michael Jackson, his daughter, tweeted after seeing the trailer, which shows Fiennes wearing facial prosthetics: 
 
 Paris-Michael K. J. (@ParisJackson) @TheMJCast i'm so incredibly offended by it, as i'm sure plenty of people are as well, and it honestly makes me want to vomit. 
 
 The episode is a tongue-in-cheek dramatisation of a rumoured road trip taken by Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando in 2001, after 9/11. 
 
 The casting of a white actor as Jackson had already proved contentious, prompting accusations of whitewashing, though many pointed out that the singer’s skin had been considerably lighter by this point and he had undergone cosmetic surgery. 
 
 However, Jackson’s children were enraged by what they saw as the caricaturing of their father and his friend Taylor. 
 
 Paris- Michael said: “It angers me to see how obviously intentional it was for them to be this insulting, not just towards my father, but my godmother, Liz, as well. 
 
 Urban Myths director defends casting of white actor as Michael Jackson Read more 
 
 “Where is the respect? They worked through blood, sweat and tears for ages to create such profound and remarkable legacies. Shameful portrayal.” 
 
 Jackson’s nephew Taj also joined the chorus of disapproval after watching the trailer. “Unfortunately this is what my family has to deal with. No words could express the blatant disrespect.” 
 
 After Sky’s decision was announced, Paris-Michael tweeted: “I’m surprised the family’s feelings were actually taken into consideration for once, we all really do appreciate it more than y’all know.” 
 
 Sky has always been keen to emphasise Urban Myths is a comedy, and not intended as a biopic. 
 
 Speaking to the Guardian this week, Ben Palmer, the series director, said people should not jump to conclusions and described Fiennes’s performance of Jackson as a “really sweet, nuanced, characterful performance”. 
 
 Play Video 0:56 Sky pulls broadcast of Michael Jackson show after family complaints – video report 
 
 The episode had been due to air in April. 
 
 However, in a statement Sky said that after the concerns raised by Jackson’s family, they had decided to pull the episode, but insisted it was not one “taken lightly”. 
 
 “Sky is not in the habit of pulling programmes but we felt that this was the right decision to take,” they said. 
 
 “Sky Arts puts the integrity of the creative vision at the heart of all of its original commissions, and casting decisions are made within the overall diversity framework which we have set.” 
 
 Fiennes has previously defended the casting, saying it had been a “wonderful challenge” to play Jackson and that people needed to remember it was in the context of satire. 
 
 Other urban myths brought to life in the series include the moment when Muhammad Ali talked a suicidal man down off a ledge in Los Angeles, the time Bob Dylan knocked on the wrong door of a house in Crouch End, and the period when Samuel Beckett would drive a young Andre the Giant to school. 
 
 Palmer said while the episodes were based on a nugget of truth or rumour, they had taken “lots of poetic licence” to create the comedy. 

 Image copyright Sky Arts Image caption Joseph Fiennes was cast as Michael Jackson last year 
 
 Sky has said it will not air a TV programme about Michael Jackson after his daughter said she was "incredibly offended" by the portrayal of him. 
 
 The episode - part of a series called Urban Myths - had been due to air on Sky Arts. 
 
 Sky released a statement on Friday saying they had pulled one episode after concerns were raised by Paris Jackson. 
 
 The broadcaster said it "never intended to cause any offence". 
 
 Statement from Sky: 
 
 "We have taken the decision not to broadcast Elizabeth, Michael and Marlon, a half-hour episode from the Sky Arts Urban Myths series, in light of the concerns expressed by Michael Jackson's immediate family. 
 
 "We set out to take a light-hearted look at reportedly true events and never intended to cause any offence. Joseph Fiennes fully supports our decision." 
 
 The stories had been described as "slightly tongue-in-cheek, mischievous and deliberately ambiguous" by Sky Arts on its website. 
 
 The episode told the story of Jackson taking a road trip from New York to Los Angeles with Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando after the 9/11 terror attacks. 
 
 Actor Joseph Fiennes had said he was shocked to be given the part of Michael Jackson last year. 
 
 Image copyright Twitter 
 
 After the programme's cancellation was announced, TJ Jackson, Michael's nephew, tweeted his thanks to those who had complained about it. 
 
 "It wasn't a comedy, it was mockery with no taste. A great victory for his legacy," he wrote. 
 
 On Thursday, Jackson's daughter Paris said on Twitter that trailer footage from the episode made her "want to vomit". 
 
 "It angers me to see how obviously intentional it was for them to be this insulting, not just towards my father, but my godmother [Elizabeth Taylor] as well," she said. 
 
 "Where is the respect? They worked through blood sweat and tears for ages to create such profound and remarkable legacies. Shameful portrayal." 
 
 Image copyright Reuters Image caption A petition against the casting objected to Fiennes getting the role 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Paris Jackson said the portrayal of her father made her "want to vomit" 
 
 More than 20,000 people also signed a petition to boycott the half-hour episode. 
 
 The petition particularly objected to Fiennes's casting as Jackson instead of a black actor. 
 
 "It's easy to see why the story would make a compelling film - but it's harder to understand why the actor best known for his role in Shakespeare In Love was the first choice to play one of the world's most iconic black musicians," the petition said. 
 
 Michael Jackson died in 2009 aged 50. 
 
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– An episode of a TV series in which a white British guy posed as Michael Jackson—called a "nightmare" by some and "shameful" by Jackson's own daughter—won't see the light of day. Sky says the episode of Urban Myths, in which Joseph Fiennes portrays Jackson on a rumored post-9/11 road trip with Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando, has been pulled "in light of the concerns expressed by Michael Jackson's immediate family," per the BBC. More than 20,000 people had also signed a petition to boycott the episode, set to air in April. "We set out to take a lighthearted look at reportedly true events and never intended to cause any offense," Sky says, adding Fiennes "fully supports our decision." Fiennes—who delivered a "really sweet, nuanced, characterful performance," according to the series director—had previously defended the episode as satire. Other episodes in the series—which Palmer says uses elements of truth or rumor and "lots of poetic license" to retell odd stories—will still air as planned, including one based on the tale that Muhammad Ali talked a suicidal man down from a ledge, per the Guardian.