[A-List] UK state: media censorship

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

BBC drops topical comedy episode

Janine Gibson
Tuesday February 3, 2004
The Guardian

The fears of BBC staff over the corporation's ability to hold its nerve in
the light of the Hutton report seemed to have been realised last night, when
a satirical comedy was unceremoniously pulled from the schedules.

An episode of the Radio 4 sitcom Absolute Power, which stars Stephen Fry and
John Bird as New Labour-ish spin doctors, has been dropped from Thursday
night's schedule, according to its writer Mark Tavener who was told by his
Radio 4 producer that it was unbroadcastable in the current climate.

The satire, which deals with topical events through the eyes of PR
professionals Prentiss McCabe, was to have tackled relations between the BBC
and the government keen to build fences after the publication of the Hutton
report, although it does not mention any of the actual events.

However, in a triumphant piece of life imitating art, the script features a
BBC executive explaining to Fry's PR character that she cannot "just go to
Newsnight and pull an item at management's behest. Well, at least, I can but
I don't. It causes too much trouble".

Tavener, who said he was "very, very upset" about the decision to pull the
first episode of the sitcom's fourth series, added: "I think in terms of the
BBC's independence this is awful.

"[Absolute Power] exists to send up the spin doctors; it is incredible that
we would not cover this and we are ruder about the BBC than we are about the
government. In fact the government wins in the end.

"We are very light-hearted and ultimately affectionate and what I find so
terribly disturbing is that if light-hearted, affectionate comedy can be
pulled, what else can be pulled that is serious.

"They've said they may possibly chop it about and run it on another date,
which I don't believe."

A BBC spokesman said that an episode of Absolute Power would be aired on
Thursday and that Radio 4 management were still considering whether or not
it would be the controversial first show.

But there may be a problem simply skipping to episode two, which doesn't
deal with the BBC but is "very rude" about Tony Blair, according to Tavener.
He also points out that there are only four episodes in the series.