Ozzy Osbourne documentary pulled from BBC

Photo Credit: Kevin Burkett / CC by 2.0

The BBC has unexpectedly pulled its planned documentary, ‘Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home’ from the broadcast schedule—with no explanation offered.

The film was set to explore the legendary Black Sabbath frontman’s return to the United Kingdom after decades of living in the United States. Instead of airing the documentary as planned on August 18 at 9 pm, an episode of the arts program ‘Fake or Fortune?’ has appeared on the schedule in its place.

The project was filmed over three years, chronicling Ozzy’s relocation to rural Buckinghamshire with his wife Sharon. What was originally conceived as a series became a one-off documentary as the singer’s health continued to decline during production of the planned series. The 75-year-old musician had publicly shared his struggles with Parkinson’s disease and multiple surgeries in recent years.

Sky News reached out to the BBC to inquire about the documentary’s removal from the schedule, but a BBC spokesperson did not provide a reason. There’s been no rescheduled air date, either. This lack of comment has added to speculation among fans about the broadcaster’s decision not to air the documentary.

The Osbourne family has long maintained a relationship with broadcasters through reality television. Their early 2000s MTV series ‘The Osbournes‘ reshaped their public profile, showcasing family life in Los Angeles in contrast to Ozzy’s heavy metal image. ‘Coming Home’ would have marked a return to a more documentary-driven perspective, focusing on the themes of aging, health, and cultural identity. The documentary aimed to capture an intimate portrayal of the Prince of Darkness during his later years.

Footage highlighted Ozzy’s resilience in facing illness while reflecting on his working-class roots in Birmingham and his legacy in rock history.

At the time of writing, there has been no update from the Osbourne family on the future of the documentary. With completed footage already produced, it is possible the project could resurface either on the BBC at a later date or be acquired by another distributor. Its removal, however, marks an abrupt change of plans for a project developed over several years.