BBC in Metallica apology

The BBC have apologised to fans of Metallica after cutting short their set at Live Earth in London earlier this month.

The corporation, who have been embroiled in a number of troubling PR issues in recent weeks, were bombarded by complaints during the Wembley Stadium concert.

More than 400 people are reported to have complained about the decision to pull coverage of the American hard rock outfit and transfer coverage to the Australian leg.

Some viewers have accused the BBC of being prejudiced against heavy metal, after cameras instead screened Crowded House at their comeback show in Sydney.

In a statement, they insisted: "We received complaints from some viewers that the Metallica set was not shown in full.

"This was a global event and we were keen to reflect the other concerts as well as the one in the U.K. We took editorial decisions in advance and on the day, about the times and places we would do that.

"The concerts were very fluid in London and around the world and there was certainly no prejudice about heavy metal music or any other music.

"This is inevitably a fine balance and we cannot please everyone all of the time. However, we of course apologise if any particular viewers were disappointed", the BBC commented.

Watch Metallica's music videos here...