Mary Whitehouse

[oscarina]

I was watching the Sixties show on BBC One, presented by Lulu, there was a feature about Mary Whitehouse and her clean up TV campaign, one clip showed her talking about a programmes she had watched at 6.35pm and it was the filthiest programme she had seen, the clip finished without saying what the programme was, What programme was she talking about!

[Bbbananas]

Was it the Kenny Everett Show?

[oscarina]

Hi sallabananas, don't know but that would possibly fit the description Kenny was a bit risque!

[Davethedog]

It was this
BETWEEN THE LINES

BBC1 / 6x25m-e / 1964 30 April - 11 June Thursdays 6.35pm black and white

Producer: Pharic MacLaren / Director: David Bell

Scottish based satirical comedy show tackling a different subject each week. Fulton Mackay, Tom Conti, Gay Hamilton, Una McLean and Alex McAvoy headed the cast. Musical support was provided by Jeannie Lambe.

However Mary Whitehouse could be offended by anything.

[Bbbananas]

Mmmm... the sixties was too early for Kenny. Cupid Stunt....

[andy-hughes]

Mary Whitehouse was notorious as the figurehead of people who appeared to go out of their way to find television to offend them - I always wished i could have a list of the times and says she watched, it always seemed to pass me by!

In the dramatisation of her life - she was played by Julie Walters - Mary held up a placard with her name for her fledgling organisation - Clean Up National Television or ... yes, her husband did suggest she think of something else!

To my mind, then and now, MW represented the very worst example of someone who believes that it is her given task to make moral choices for the rerst of the population, and that no-one else but she and a chosen few like-minded people,possess sufficient integrity to see the depravity she finds, but remain unaffected by it.

[netibiza]

Yeah but, she gave us something to rebel against. if she said Filth, we'd watch it, do it, buy it!

[sandyRoe]

The BBC in particular paid more attention to her than she deserved. She was a self appointed would-be censor. I can't think of any television programme in the 60's that would cause offence.

[oscarina]

Was she watching programmes just to find the filth, wonder why she continued watching the programme in question! Good job she's not living now or she would be up to her eyes in muck,those celebs running around half dressed and rolling in mud in the Jungle!!!

[joggerjayne]

I think we enjoy things more if someone objects to them.

[craft1948]

You may laugh about her now, but seeing some of the modern programmes she has been proved right. Crap standards of programme making and very few trendy programmes where the F word is not de rigeur.....

[andy-hughes]

That's true craft - but culture has moved on considerably from those early days.

People were far more strait-laced and prone to take offence - epsecially if they missed the programme, but had Mrs W to point out what was so terible about it.

Although, on reflection - that was the scenario with 'Manuel-Gate' - hardly anyone listened to Brand's woefully unfunny and entertainment-free radio show, and of those who did, single figures complained, but once the media got hold of it, the whole world decided it was offended, and the balloon went up!

Maybe things are not so different after all!

[netibiza]

Same with the book "Lady Chatterley's Lover" in the 60's. We would not have bothered with it had there not been a huge outcry, as it was we were queuing round the block to get our hands on a copy (and had to hide it from the parents)!!

[oscarina]

Some tongue in cheek replies,but it is good to see someone with moral standards, what would she have said about Frankie Boyle or Little Britain!

[carlton23]

I wonder what she would have thought of if she had read some of the comments on here.