LimeWire Music Blog

Glam-rocker Gary Glitter will be publicly “executed” on a new television program on Channel 4. Fret not, Glitter fans, the musician and real-life criminal will not really be killed, but instead, an actor assuming his role will be mock-executed on a show that introduces fictionalized capital punishment laws in the UK.

The fictionalized version of the sleazy, ’70s pop-star is set to be hanged by the neck on a show entitled The Execution of Gary Glitter. The British film has been shot as a documentary, following Glitter’s fictional arrest and police interrogation. Glitter’s televised crimes mimic his real-life ones, as the musician will be brought to justice in light of child sex crimes, serious charges that (lest we forget) have plagued Glitter in recent times.

A Channel 4 spokesperson says they have contacted Glitter to tell him about the program, but the singer has yet to make a statement. Meanwhile, Channel 4 head of documentaries Hamish Mykura has lent his perspective on the film. “High profile crimes against children often prompt calls for the return of the death penalty — this drama confronts the public with what many say they want.” He adds that the program presents “an intelligent and thought-provoking examination of the issue.”

To me, it just seems a bit sensationalist, relying on a heavily slandered public figure to help present a controversial British (and hey, global) topic. Without the singer’s official blessing, The Execution of Gary Glitter just sounds like a glorified, high-budget, and extremely inventive Lifetime flick-of-the-week, but the jury’s still out on this one.