Major UK radio stations have told of their plans for the future of Michael Jackson's music on the airwaves after a controversial documentary about the singer.
HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, which details explosive allegations of Jackson molesting two men when they were children, was shown to British audiences on Channel 4 on Wednesday, with the second part coming tonight.
Radio stations in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Netherlands have already pulled the star’s songs from their networks after the shocking revelations emerged.
But stations in the UK have not pulled the singer’s music, with the BBC saying they do not ban artists.
A spokeswoman said: “We consider each piece of music on its merits and decisions on what we play on different networks are always made with relevant audiences and context in mind.”
It was claimed last week that the BBC had “quietly dropped” the Jackson 5 singer from its playlist, but the channel said this was not the case as he hasn’t been featured on it.
Global Radio, who run Capital, Heart and LBC, said they do not comment on editorial decisions.
A Virgin spokesman said: "Virgin Radio may have on occasion played an Michael Jackson track in the past in features, but as an artist he is not especially popular with our listeners and so isn't a Virgin artist. So there is no change in policy as he is just not very relevant to Virgin Radio."
The singer’s fans gathered outside Channel 4’s headquarters to protest his innocence ahead of the documentary airing, congregating with banners displaying Jackson’s face covered by the word “innocent.”
Viewers reacted with disgust as James Safechuck and Wade Robson accused the pop star of abusing them as children in the two-part series.
However other viewers were more sceptical of the claims, which have provoked a fierce reaction from the singer's fans and family. The Jackson Estate has denied the claims made.
