Heavy metal icon’s final years chronicled in film withdrawn hours before Monday night broadcast
The BBC has withdrawn a highly anticipated documentary chronicling the final years of Ozzy Osbourne’s life just hours before its scheduled broadcast on Monday evening, leaving fans disappointed and searching for answers.
Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home was abruptly pulled from the network’s schedule on Monday (Aug. 18) just hours before it was slated to air with no explanation. The one-hour film, which had been scheduled for 9pm on BBC One, was replaced by an episode of Fake or Fortune, the art investigation series presented by Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould.
A spokesperson for the BBC told the Mirror that the film had ‘moved in the schedules’ and new premiere details would be announced ‘in due course. The sudden withdrawal has prompted speculation about the reasons behind the last-minute decision, particularly given the sensitive nature of the documentary’s content.
The Prince of Darkness, who fronted pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, died on July 22 at age 76, just weeks after performing what would be his final concert. The cause of death was revealed as cardiac arrest and coronary artery disease, as well as complications related to Parkinson’s disease.
Three Years in the Making
Originally conceived as a series, Home to Roost, announced in 2022, the project evolved as Ozzy’s health deteriorated into a one-hour film Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home. The documentary had been filmed over three years with unprecedented access to the Osbourne family, including wife Sharon and children Jack and Kelly.
The film captures the extraordinary roller-coaster of their lives as Sharon and Ozzy attempt to complete their long-held dream of moving back to the UK, Ozzy heroically battles to get fit enough to perform, and the family deal with the dramatic consequences of his ill-health.
Clare Sillery, BBC Head of Commissioning for Documentaries, had spoken enthusiastically about the project. “We are honoured to have had the opportunity to film with Ozzy and his family. The film captures an intimate glimpse into their journey as they prepare to return to the UK.”
Birmingham’s Final Farewell
The documentary’s climax featured Osbourne’s emotional final performance at the “Back to the Beginning” concert on 5 July at Villa Park in Birmingham, where he was born and Black Sabbath was formed. The widely lauded concert was streamed worldwide via pay per view with a broadcast delay. It featured an all-star lineup of supporting acts, including two supergroups of musicians serving as the house band.
Osbourne, no longer able to walk due to advanced Parkinson’s disease, sang while seated on a throne. Seventeen days after the show, Osbourne died at the age of 76. The concert marked the first time since 2005 that the original Black Sabbath line-up had performed together.
During the show, Osbourne told the crowd of over 40,000 fans that night, “You have no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” The performance raised substantial funds for charity, with the show generating $200 million in charitable donations to benefit causes near to Ozzy’s heart, including one for Parkinson’s research.
A Rock Icon’s Legacy
Throughout his career, Osbourne sold more than 100 million albums and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame both as a member of Black Sabbath in 2006 and as a solo artist in 2024. He gained a new generation of fans through the MTV reality show The Osbournes, which ran from 2002 to 2005.
Just a week after his death, Birmingham paid tribute to its most famous son with a public funeral procession on 30 July. Crowds of fans turned out ahead of the procession to pay tribute to the singer known as the Prince of Darkness and reflect on the role he and his family played in their lives.
The Black Sabbath singer’s coffin was driven along Broad Street in the city centre, a route that saw the cortege pause at a bridge named after the band he helped found nearly six decades ago. Sharon Osbourne and the couple’s children were visibly emotional as they viewed the thousands of tributes left by fans.
Production Details and Future Release
The documentary was produced by Expectation in association with JOKS Productions Limited. Executive producers Ben Wicks and Colin Barr described working with the Osbourne family as “an incredible privilege.”
“Ozzy wanted to make it back to the UK and appear on stage one last time – our film is an inspiring and poignant account of him fulfilling that dream. Ozzy was loved by millions around the world not just for his music, but for his sense of mischief and his honesty, all of which we saw plenty of in the final years of his life.
“But one thing shone through even more brightly to us, and that was Ozzy’s intense love for his exceptional family who were by his side through it all.”
The film had been described as “full of love, laughter and tears and the kind of unforgettable family moments that we’ve come to expect from the Osbournes.” It was set to document “the first family of rock” as they faced the reality that, as Kelly Osbourne poignantly observed in the film, “Iron man wasn’t really made of iron.
Speculation Mounts
The last-minute scheduling change has led to widespread speculation among fans and industry observers. Some have suggested the BBC may be reconsidering the broadcast date out of sensitivity to the family or to allow for additional editing following Osbourne’s death.
Paramount+ is producing another feature-length documentary, Ozzy Osbourne: No Escape From Now, which explores post-2019 setbacks. It’s expected to debut later in 2025. Additionally, a Back to the Beginning concert documentary is scheduled for theatrical release in early 2026.
The BBC has not provided a new broadcast date for Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home, leaving fans eagerly awaiting news of when they will be able to see this intimate portrait of the heavy metal icon’s final years.
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Image Credit (Shortened):
Ozzy Osbourne at Black Sabbath’s farewell concert in Birmingham (4 Feb 2017) – by Egghead06, licensed under CC BY‑SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
