***Trigger warning. This article contains graphic content**
The BBC has defended Bruce Parry after he suffocated and killed a goat with his bare hands in ‘gruesome’ scenes for his new TV show.
After more than a decade away from screens, the filmmaker and activist returned this weekend for a new series of Tribe on BBC Two.
The reboot certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted, however, with the 56-year-old facing several shocking experiences.
The BBC has spoken out against the recent backlash from groups including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) and defended Bruce.
‘The goat sequence in episode two accurately portrays an essential part of Mucubal life in Angola, and it is traditional for Mucubal communities to ask visitors to slaughter a goat.
‘As the programme explains, the Mucubal believe that stabbing an animal is cruel and suffocation is a more respectful death.
‘The goat was eaten after its slaughter and to avoid including it in the programme would create an inauthentic portrayal of Mucubal life.’
This comes after Peta President of Programmes Elisa Allen said in a statement: ‘Bruce Parry would be in jail and facing criminal charges if his abominably cruel goat suffocation had occurred on British soil.
‘And PETA will see what action can be taken regardless as he planned this, no doubt, from the UK, sharing responsibility with the BBC.
‘For selfish ratings “shock value”, a gentle being who otherwise loved to play and jump spent her final moments in abject terror – gasping for air, struggling to stay alive, and bleating for mercy that Parry failed to grant.
‘Parry’s excuse of cultural immersion is a failed attempt at washing his hands of an act of wanton cruelty to animals, and the BBC must answer for enabling such cruelty.’
The statement suggested that Bruce should make a donation to a goat sanctuary and urged viewers disturbed by scenes to reconsider their choices when it comes to animal products.
In the episode set to air on April 6, but already available on iPlayer, Bruce meets an indigenous tribe called The Mucubal in Angola.
Upon his arrival, Bruce is gifted a goat by one of the tribe’s leaders.
However, after asking what he’s meant to do with it, he was instructed he needed to kill it right away.
Looking completely floored, Bruce then explained in a voiceover that it would be rude to reject the gift from the tribe.
It’s then demonstrated what he needs to do to kill the animal, with suffocation being the method used so the goat’s nutrient-rich blood isn’t wasted.
In confronting scenes, a group of men then hold the screaming goat down as Bruce puts his hands around its mouth and nostrils to kill it.
As the process unfolds, he shares: ‘This is the most gruesome thing I have ever done.’
Bruce then goes on to exclaim ‘oh my god’ several times, adding: ‘I wasn’t given any time to consider it or anything, it’s like they held it and said you have to hold this now…so I did.’
After being told the goat is dead, Bruce looks relieved that the ordeal is over.
‘It’s a very odd feeling, feeling the life force of an animal disappear in your own hands…not a feeling I’d necessarily want to have again,’ he explains.
In a recent interview with Radio Times, Bruce reflected on the ‘difficult’ task he was presented with.
‘But I could be the most ethically minded person at home in the UK, but still, by simply getting on a bus, I will have a much larger impact on the planet than any one of these people. Who am I to judge them?’ he said.
In the first episode, which aired on Sunday night, Bruce travelled into the Colombian Amazon to meet the Waimaha people.
There, he got stuck in with any and every domestic task, took his taste buds on a tropical adventure by eating their delicacies, and even explored the tribe’s medicinal practices.
At one point, local physician Pedro squeezed green juice from a lush leaf into Bruce’s eye, which, as you can expect, stung a fair bit.
The most challenging viewing came, though, after Bruce underwent ‘training’ before he was permitted to join the villagers at a ceremony for the forest sports.
In preparation for the sacred ritual, Bruce cleared his sinuses by snorting ground chili.
He then ingested a plant-based drink, called emetic leaf-water, intended to ‘purge’ his stomach.
And there was certainly a lot of purging involved for poor Bruce, who found himself up to his neck in the river in the dead of night, projectile vomiting like there was no tomorrow.
Several minutes of footage were included in the final cut as gallons of green gunk made their way out of his system.
Surprisingly, there was a sprinkling of comedic relief in the whole thing, as Pedro coached Bruce on how exactly he should be spewing his guts up.
Instead of heaving and spitting, Pedro instructed him to lean forward and simply let it all flow out, like turning on a tap.
So, now you know…
The scenes astounded viewers watching at home, who took to X with reactions while trying to enjoy some Mother’s Day treats.
User @OffTheBallMedia, whose name is Chris Williams, wrote: ‘I am watching #Tribe. There is quite a lot of vomiting. I was previously eating chocolates that the Current Mrs Williams was given for Mother’s Day. Not so keen now’.
‘That’s a LOT of sick, just as I’m having a slice of Victoria sponge cake and a nice cup of tea’, said @EdithBo11775637.
‘Bruce honking up on #Tribe is giving me flashbacks to outside Flamingo kebab house on a Friday night’, joked @cluckingduck170.
‘Flaming hell Bruce, we don’t need see 5 minutes of you and that other bloke puking! We know what vomiting is’, exclaimed a disgusted @truly_woolie.
Despite the unsettling nature of some scenes involving bodily functions, the ‘eye-opening’ episode received high praise from viewers on the whole.
@brandyapple described it as a ‘fascinating’ watch and said it was ‘amazing’ to see how Bruce was welcomed by the tribe.
@markmathewssong also hailed him as a ‘hero’ and declared, ‘The world is healing’ now Tribe has returned.
@pitlane_girl chimed in: ‘Can’t believe the original series started 20 years ago! I’ve missed this … psychoactive concoctions, cleansing rituals, and grub eating … and BP has matured like a fine wine’.
Others even suggested Bruce would ‘walk’ I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, having clearly taken tribal life in his stride and not been fazed by anything he ate.
Speaking ahead of the new series, Bruce sat down with Metro to reflect on the cultural practices he got involved in and his aim to be respectful to the Indigenous communities.
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On approaching any rituals with zero prejudice, he shared: ‘Who the hell am I to judge these people anyway?
‘[Tribes] have almost no impact on their environment outside their own tiny space. They’re not the problem on the planet. They are not causing climate change.’
Bruce’s last docuseries, Arctic, aired on the BBC in 2011. He then took a step back for 14 years before making his long-awaited return.
Tribe continues Sunday at 9pm on BBC Two and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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