The world of British television off and on the screen, as it was sixty years ago.

A Model of Decorum

The infamous 14-day rule which applies to broadcasters but not newspapers when discussing parliamentary business was once again championed by Sir Anthony Eden, the Prime Minister. Mr Jo Grimond, Liberal MP for Orkney and Zetland asked Sir Anthony if “he thought that a practice… which limited free speech and was clearly unworkable really added to the prestige of parliament.”

Some Labour Party members including Manny Shinwell and Clement Davies were not so sure about it, but all defences by Sir Anthony Eden of the indefensible provoked cheers from the Tory back-benchers. The Labour leadership were more circumspect, but they too seem to believe in the rule.

Sir Robert Fraser, the director of the ITA said yesterday that there are now between 450,000 and 500,000 homes which can receive independent television programmes. They’ll have to switch over if they want to see the Budget speech, though. That’s only being carried by BBC Television.

Under the heading Practise of Law “Farcical” and the lurid sub-heading Fines on ProstitutesThe Guardian‘s London Staff report on the annual meeting of the Public Morality Council. The Council’s secretary, George Tomlinson, declared that nudity (and the semblance of nudity) on stage, the way the law deals with prostitutes were the chief moral dangers facing the public and the increase in convictions for homosexual offences was most alarming.

Mr Tomlinson said that the Council had received complaints about some BBC radio and television programmes but that so far “commercial television has been conducting itself very decorously.”

And finally, news in the Mirror that a TV star was found in a dogs’ home becomes clear once the star is revealed as a mongrel dog called Penny who has already started to appear in Barbie, an Associated-Rediffusion children’s serial about a teen violinist played by Marcia Manolescue. TV producer Hazel Wilkinson is quoted as saying, “I was going to find a home for her when the series ended, but now Penny seems to have found a home with me.” Aaah.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *