Savile TOTP episodes to be broadcast after all..?

[Rob Moss]

I'm very wary of starting this thread, but thought you might all like to see this article from the Guardian about the Jimmy Savile edition of Desert Island Discs, not so much for the DID content, but for the comment at the bottom suggesting that the BBC are editing Savile TOTP editions for broadcast...

www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2012/nov/27/jimmy-savile-desert-island-discs?CMP=twt_fd

I know we'd all like to see the episodes uncut, but as that is unlikely to happen, I think we have to give credit to BBC Four for giving us the next best option, assuming this is true.

Obviously, please let's not retread old ground again, etc, etc.

[Deleted]

That's the best we can hope for at the moment, I reckon. When the article refers to removing Saville from the archive though, I presume they only mean the online archive (?)

[Rob Moss]

I would imagine so.

[Liam Joseph]

Getting to see and hear the music is what's important so judiciously editing JS out seems the best way to do it (he always was pretty irritating anyway). One problem is that some episodes had him dancing along in the audience during performances, so I don't know how they'd get around this - a flashing "Perv Alert" sign maybe? Maybe not...

[markg]

Pixellation, I reckons.

[garyhaggarty]

As regards interaction during a performance, I can't see how JS can be airbrushed altogether but I'm sure BBC4 will be forgiven for at least making an effort with the links. That said, I expect the DLT editions to resume as soon as possible. In my view the general problem with censorship is that it can be counterproductive when you're drawing attention to the thing you're covering up. I saw some Channel 4 footage from the V Festival a few years ago where they bleeped out a few innocuous naughty words in a song & made it virtually unwatchable. I just hope this attempt to tweak a few editions bodes well for the continuation of TOTP repeats for 1978.

[markg]

Similarly, Jilted John's hit got certain words 'silented' out on TOTP2

[Dan S]

Jimmy Savile was present & correct in episode 2 of Paul Gambaccini's "History of Music Radio" last week, so it's not every department of the BBC that is trying to erase history. But editing Jilted John. Wow. That is pathetic.

[John Green]

Of course I had to check out the controversial lyrics.

It gives us another reason to ban the Peter,Paul,and Mary drug song about the 'Magic Dragon'.

[Nathan Dickel]

Slightly off topic, but about a month ago now, Comedy Central over here in New Zealand aired Benny Hill's Jimmy Savile parody with no complaints, and we even down here were getting flooded with Savile on the news.

[Deleted]

Nov 30, 2012 6:54:45 GMT Nathan Dickel said:

Slightly off topic, but about a month ago now, Comedy Central over here in New Zealand aired Benny Hill's Jimmy Savile parody with no complaints, and we even down here were getting flooded with Savile on the news.

Good grief... can't remember the last time anything of Benny Hill was screened here in the UK. Since his death he's been more or less whitewashed out of comedy history. Sure, we can get the DVD's but TV repeats? That will never happen again in my lifetime since Benny Hill = Politically Incorrect ensures that.

[Richard Marple]

I've seen 1 or 2 retrospectives of Benny Hill in recent years, along with the film of transfered TV sketches.

[markg]

I used to know one of the Hill's Angels (not at the time), she must have been on one of the last shows.. (I've never seen the show(s) she was in, repeated)

[garyhaggarty]

Benny Hill was ITV's greatest export worldwide because of his visual humour & the manner in which ITV dispensed with his services was nothing less than disgraceful.

[markg]

You know, I do remember the last years of his tenure:

He had a rolling contract for three episodes a year, I believe. One would be quite good, one would be iffy, and one would usually be terrible or rehashes of what he'd done already.