You could call it an early case of cancel culture. In their selfappointed role as the nation’s cultural guardian, the BBC retained the right to restrict certain records from the airwaves. Intriguing files in the BBC’s Written Archives Centre in Caversham, Berkshire – now open to the public – reveal hundreds of repressed recordings. According to their ‘Best Practice’ guidelines, an interesting spectrum of ‘unsuitable’ reasons were listed. These spanned foul language, lyrics with explicit sexual content, alleged drug references, product placement, distortion of classical music, controversial political matter (applied to some of Bob Dylan’s early protest songs), plus themes dealing with religion, bewitchment or death. And during sensitive post-war social times, not forgetting, anything ‘too sentimental’.
Neither private corporation, nor government department, within its unique niche as the foremost…
