BBC adapts planned factual series on rock icon Ozzy Osbourne into one-off tribute

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne

Ruaridh Connellan/Expectation/BBC

UK public broadcaster the BBC has revealed that its planned 10×30’ factual series about the late heavy metal and reality TV star Ozzy Osbourne will now be broadcast as a one-off documentary titled Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home.

In 2022, the BBC announced the commission of Home to Roost, produced by UK indie prodco Expectation (Hell Jumper), which followed Ozzy, his manager wife Sharon and their kids Jack and Kelly as they returned from the US to live in the UK.

Described as an intimate portrait of the Black Sabbath singer, the project followed the Osbournes’ lives in rural Buckinghamshire as they prepared for Sharon’s 70th birthday and Ozzy’s planned solo tour.

However, the BBC said that “the project evolved as Ozzy’s health deteriorated.” The singer was forced to cancel a string of live arena dates as he dealt with Parkinson’s disease and spinal issues stemming from a 2003 quad bike accident.

The much-loved rocker passed away on July 22, aged 76, just weeks after his Back to the Beginning farewell gig at Villa Park, in his home town of Birmingham.

Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home (1×60’) takes the three years of footage filmed for the planned docuseries by Expectation and distils it into a moving account of the last chapter of Ozzy’s life. It will be broadcast on BBC One on August 18 and will also stream on iPlayer.

Clare Sillery, head of commissioning, documentaries, said: “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.

“It features family moments, humour, reflection and shows the enduring spirit that made Ozzy a global icon. We hope it brings comfort and joy to Ozzy’s fans and viewers as they remember and celebrate his extraordinary life.”

Ben Wicks and Colin Barr, executive producers at Expectation, said: “It was an incredible privilege to spend the last few years with Ozzy, as well as Sharon, Jack and Kelly. 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.”

In other news from the BBC, the pubcaster has greenlit factual title Dear Viv (1×60’, World of Wonder), a portrait of the late RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne. To be screened on BBC Three and iPlayer, it is a tribute to the flamboyant performer, real name James Lee Williams, who died at the age of 32 in January.