Blasphemy, violence and live turtles: 10 plays that shocked the world

A history of theatre's most controversial moments, from Jerry Springer: The Opera to Sarah Kane's unrelenting' Blasted

Sensationally vulgar, this musical take on the TV host was taken to court for blasphemy. Featuring tap-dancing members of the Ku Klux Klan and Jesus dressed as a baby, it was designed to distress. For all its shock and schlock tactics," wrote Michael Billington at the time, the show implies that TV has a moral responsibility." The BBC received 63,000 complaints after airing the musical in 2005.