Mary Whitehouse Tonight Bbc2 9 O'clock

[andy-hughes]

Will the two-part documentary explain how and why only Mrs Whitehouse and her cohorts were actually immune to the tide of filth and depravity entering the nation's minds and souls through the TV and cinema offerings they consumed?

I've always been intrigued by that - along with which days and channels she actually watched TV, I could never find any of the level of material she ranted about!!

[DTCwordfan]

she probably got briefed by Jimmy S or perhaps Stuart Hall or Rolf H.

[naomi24]

What material that she ranted about did you look for?

[Maydup]

She objected to stuff like Alf Garnet and Benny Hill, fair enough, but she also objected to anything with a gay person in or a sex scene, anything she felt was blasphemous or violent.

[andy-hughes]

Naomi - // What material that she ranted about did you look for? //

I clearly remember her in interview saying that she and her family sat down to watch a programme at six-thirty one evening, and it was, quote, "The dirtiest programme I have ever seen ..." etc. etc. continued page 92.

I searched for ages, and only found out decades later that the show she was referring to was an episode of The Goodies!!!

[Hopkirk]

Perhaps she was warning that allowing and not challenging the mild levels, it would open the floodgates to more obscene stuff. Was she not right?

[naomi24]

AH, The Goodies? I wonder what she actually complained about? Can you remember?

[andy-hughes]

Hopkirk - // Perhaps she was warning that allowing and not challenging the mild levels, it would open the floodgates to more obscene stuff. Was she not right? //

Mrs Whitehouse could not have known how society would have evolved, but as someone who was listening to her at the time she was ranting, she was determined to stop anything she deemed unsuitable instantly.

My point remains - why did she feel she could appoint herself as guardian of the nation's morals, and what exempted her and her colleagues from being tainted by the 'filth' that was clearly derailing everyone else's moral compass?

[andy-hughes]

naomi - // AH, The Goodies? I wonder what she actually complained about? Can you remember? //

Personally finding The Goodies as amusing as a broken leg, I never did pursue that any further, but I can't imagine that anything the BBC put out at that time of night in those days would actually offend anyone - unless they were looking for something only they could actually see.

[Hopkirk]

I used to laugh when people like her complained about sex and violence on TV.

I never understood why they lumped the two together.

I felt there was too much violence, and not enough sex.

[ladybirder]

LOL Hoppy.

[naomi24]

But hang on a minute, AH. You would ban alcohol. You think it’s bad for society, you don’t drink it so you think no one else should. What’s the difference?

[naomi24]

What exempted her and her colleagues? The same thing that exempts me from the crowds of hooting, screaming, hysterical television audiences these days. I don’t like them.

[douglas9401]

A ranting old bat surrounded by like-minded loonies as I recall.

Some say her heart was in the right place, it is now.

[Ellipsis]

The Goodies had a scene with a giant pussy wrapped around the Telecom Tower ...

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uDClO-KoV3Y/XK5AaBelyzI/AAAAAAAAIBQ/4VZtjK_tD8MzJFFC7_1kscMD1lMB2Gs7wCLcBGAs/s400/kitten01.gif

[Buenchico]

Quote:
"Mary Whitehouse once described The Goodies as being “too sexually-orientated”, taking particular issue with Tim Brooke-Taylor who had always seemed about as unlikely a sex symbol as Harry Worth. Mrs Whitehouse stated: “Tim Brooke-Taylor was seen undressing, then dressing to mock John Travolta in an exceedingly tight pair of underpants with a distinctive carrot motif on the front”.

Source:
https://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1970s/goodies/

Mary Whitehouse originally praised The Goodies but she might not have seen the joke when, in response, they then invented the character of Desiree Carthorse ;-)
https://goodies.fandom.com/wiki/Gender_Education

[andy-hughes]

naomi - // But hang on a minute, AH. You would ban alcohol. You think it’s bad for society, you don’t drink it so you think no one else should. What’s the difference? //

I think your comparison is adrift on several points.

First of all, I don't drink alcohol because I don't enjoy the taste or the effect, but my personal dislike of it has nothing to do with my view on it as a bad aspect of our culture.

My not drinking it does not inform my dislike of it - that comes from the adverse effects it has on people which are well documented, and do not need to trouble us here, on a different issue of discussion.

But I have to make clear - my dislike of alcohol is purely an opinion, and an abstract vision of a perfect world.

It does not impinge on me even to the point of pulling my face when in the company of people who do drink alcohol, which is very frequent indeed, and includes my wonderful wife on occasions.

I am an entire universe away from assuming moral superiority to the point where I would actually form an organisation and court publicity from the media, in order to further my moral position - I am simply not that arrogant.

[naomi24]

It isn’t just that you don’t like the taste. You have said you would ban it.

[andy-hughes]

naomi - // It isn’t just that you don’t like the taste. You have said you would ban it. //

That's true, but my distinction bears repeating.

You said that 'Because 'I don't drink it, no-one else should' and that is not my position.

That would make me very small-minded - I don't like something so you can't have it either.

That's not my view - I think alcohol is bad for the reasons I have offered.

I quite like junk food, driving too fast, staying up late, watching too much tv ... the list goes on, but I don't advocate stopping anyone else doing those things, because people will do what they want - and that includes drinking alcohol.

I must repeat, my views are based on an 'If I ruled the world ...' scenario, nothing more determined than that.

[douglas9401]

Would every day be the first day of spring though?

[andy-hughes]

Not really Douglas, I prefer summer.