THE York Mystery Plays have inspired Britain's most controversial theatre show, Jerry Springer - The Opera.

Co-writer and director Stewart Lee said the show was ideal for York, where the musical that prompted 60,000 complaints to the BBC will run at the Grand Opera House next February.

"I always had the Mystery Plays in mind when writing the script in that they were patently secular pieces of work; medieval burlesques that only received approval and funds because they were grafted on to a religious template," he said.

"The Mystery Plays were punchy and vibrant and they did exactly what this show does, using the public knowledge of religious stories to tell the stories we want to tell. One of the things that has amazed me about the objections we've received is that our show has a lot in common with the Mystery Plays and the writings of Milton.

"There are elements in the writing that echo the Mystery Plays, and in many ways York is the ideal place to do the show because there is knowledge about religion in the city."

Lee was in York yesterday to publicise next year's tour, and he recalled his first contact with a Mystery Play. He said: "I directed the Wakefield Second Shepherds' Mystery Play when I was a student at Oxford, and it's the funniest Mystery Play. It's a Carry On play with baby Jesus banged on at the end so they could get it into a church."

The tour was postponed from this autumn to 2006 after the group, Christian Voice, threatened to prosecute any theatre that took the show, prompting a third of the original venues to pull out.

"However, the Birmingham, Aberdeen and Plymouth theatres galvanised everyone to continue and all the creative team - six or seven of us - have agreed to waive our royalties for the tour," said Lee. "The political dimension that has been thrown on to this show by Christian Voice's campaign means that you have to tour it, otherwise political comment might get shut down."

Responding to misinformation about the musical's content, he said: "When I read about how this show was supposed to have 8,000 swear words, Jesus in a nappy and God as a sexual deviant, I thought: 'I'd love to see that show'."

Jerry Springer - The Opera will visit the Grand Opera House, York, from February 20 to 25.

As revealed exclusively in the Evening Press yesterday, the Mystery Plays will be performed in York Minster in 2010.

:: Sarah Driscoll asked people in York whether they thought the musical should come to York, and whether they would go to see it themselves

Gary Pentland, 39, from Dringhouses, York, said: "It's not to my taste and it depends how far it goes to causing offence."

Jacqui Hellen, 20, from Leeman Road, York, said: "I like musicals, so yes, I would go and see what all the hype is about."

Steven Cobb, 38, from York, said: "I personally wouldn't go and see it, it's an individual's choice as to whether you go or not."

Becky Morris, 23, from Fulford, York, said: "I can't believe they have wasted time and money making something so trivial."

Updated: 09:48 Tuesday, November 01, 2005