BBC Banned!

[johnnybear]

I suppose everyone knows about how the BBC banned four episodes of TOS in the 70s and 80s! Miri, which had been shown once was removed from the transmissions list soon after and was only available to fans to watch on CIC VHS in the 80s! Plus Plato's Stepchildren, The Empath and Whom God's Destroy were termed unsuitable one way or another to be screened in the UK as well! i think it was SKY that first showed them in the early 90s which led to the BBC dropping the ban and showing the three shows in the mid 90s! Does anyone have an other info on this at all?
I know Patterns of Force was banned in Germany until the 2000s too!
JB

 

[Lance]

I think the British censors had tight guidelines on certain things. Something like Miri crossed the line by being 'too distressing', or words to that effect. It had a few too many confronting scenes (like a group of feral kids setting upon Kirk en masse, or the general sense of despair surrounding the virus, fairly graphic depictions of disease, etc) which couldn't simply be cut around. So the episode got banned instead.

The other factor you need to remember is that Star Trek was deemed children's fare in Britain (in fact, it was first broadcast in Doctor Who's timeslot when that show went off the air between it's sixth and seventh seasons in 1969), and was being shown considerably "before the watershed", which was the arbitary time on British television where shows were subject to greater scrutiny over their content. If it had been shown after 9pm everything would probably have been okay.

 

[Lance]

Additionally, there's some info here touching on the whole ordeal, including transcripts from the BBC themselves about why they decided not to air the episodes originally:

http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Four_Banned_Star_Trek_Episodes_in_the_UK

Of note:

After very careful consideration a top level decision was made not to screen the episodes entitled "Empath", "Whom Gods Destroy", "Plato's Stepchildren" and "Miri", because they all dealt most unpleasantly with the already unpleasant subjects of madness, torture, sadism and disease. You will appreciate that account must be taken that out of Star Trek's large and enthusiastic following, many are juveniles, no matter what time of day the series is put into the programme schedules. A further look has been taken following the recent correspondence, but I am afraid it has been impossible to revise the opinion not to show these episodes.

So, judging by the bit that says "You will appreciate that account must be taken that out of Star Trek's large and enthusiastic following, many are juveniles, no matter what time of day the series is put into the programme schedules", it seems it wouldn't have actually mattered if it had been shown after the watershed: those episodes were going to be banned, no matter what.

 

[johnnybear]

Thanks for that, Lance!
I started to record the audio of Trek in the late 70s but upgraded to video in 1980! In 84 they repeated it again and I taped all of the ones i didn't have but there were many scenes missing like the article said! Arena had a few, court Martial with Kirk and Cogley (I finally got to see this one uncut about six years ago) And the children shall lead and Lights of Zetar were very confusing because of the cuts!
JB

 

[ciao1966]

I rented the banned episodes from a UK video shop in late 1983. The cover actually had it written on.

It was pretty amazing watching "new Trek" after years of repeats.

Miri is now one of my favourite episodes.

 

[ElimGarak.93-99]

I remember that in the 90s the BBC also deleted a scene in the movie The Voyage Home.
It was the scene where Gillian hit her colleague because she wanted to say goodbye to them, but couldn't because they all ready transported them. And it was also the way he talked about the whales that she didn't like.

 

[Classic Fan]

This article was in the recent issue of Star Trek Magazine and being a brit it doesnt surprise me especially when this was the height of censorship and Mary Whitehouse shit was hitting the fan.

Until i read this months issue i had no idea there were banned episodes.

 

[Mr. Hengist]

I remember that in the 90s the BBC also deleted a scene in the movie The Voyage Home.
It was the scene where Gillian hit her colleague because she wanted to say goodbye to them, but couldn't because they all ready transported them. And it was also the way he talked about the whales that she didn't like.

The powers that be frequently suppress examples of females who physically abuse males because it doesn't fit into the standard feminist political agenda.

 

[Maurice]

...standard feminist political agenda.

 

[MacLeod]

Well the BBC also originally decided no to an air an episode of TNG "The High Ground" though this was in part due to at the time a rise in terrorist attacks.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I remember that in the 90s the BBC also deleted a scene in the movie The Voyage Home.
It was the scene where Gillian hit her colleague because she wanted to say goodbye to them, but couldn't because they all ready transported them. And it was also the way he talked about the whales that she didn't like.

The powers that be frequently suppress examples of females who physically abuse males because it doesn't fit into the standard feminist political agenda.

You are SO right there. That's why Game of Thrones added in rape scenes that weren't in the books, to trick the audience into thinking there is a culture of violence against women!

 

[Pauln6]

I suspect the censors found a long hard (no pun intended) look at Rand's legs to be too titillating.

 

[Lance]

Well the BBC also originally decided no to an air an episode of TNG "The High Ground" though this was in part due to at the time a rise in terrorist attacks.

On this occasion I do see their point, though. The story allegorically felt similar to the troubles in Ireland, and in one scene Data explicitly mentioned it. Given all of that, I can understand the Beeb's stance on treading carefully on that one.

 

[Commishsleer]

I remember that in the 90s the BBC also deleted a scene in the movie The Voyage Home.
It was the scene where Gillian hit her colleague because she wanted to say goodbye to them, but couldn't because they all ready transported them. And it was also the way he talked about the whales that she didn't like.

The powers that be frequently suppress examples of females who physically abuse males because it doesn't fit into the standard feminist political agenda.

Did they cut out Amanda's slap of Spock in 'Journey to Babel'? too.
Maybe TPTB missed Zena or Buffy. I recall a bit of man punching in these series.
Why is it against feminism for a woman to slap a man again? Aside from it being wrong to commit violence.
I thought women exerting power (by the slap) would be seen as feminst and not just accepting say Gillian's scientist friend knowing what's better for her (and sneaking out the whales).

 

[Maurice]

You're wasting your breath arguing with that one, Sleer. You'd be more likely to convince Roj Blake to side with the Federation.

 

[HIjol]

The BBC was not alone...I remember reading in "The Making of Star Trek," how the Executives at Desilu, as well as the Network Executives and Censors would send memos to Roddenberry and Justman and the lot, about kisses and caresses and gestures and phrases and bears, oh, my, that would have been deemed "offensive" at the time...funny how far we have come...

 

[drt]

Well the BBC also originally decided no to an air an episode of TNG "The High Ground" though this was in part due to at the time a rise in terrorist attacks.

On this occasion I do see their point, though. The story allegorically felt similar to the troubles in Ireland, and in one scene Data explicitly mentioned it. Given all of that, I can understand the Beeb's stance on treading carefully on that one.

I thought it wasn't because Data just mentioned the conflict, but that he specifically stated that the IRA was successful at getting Ireland reunited.

 

[Commishsleer]

You're wasting your breath arguing with that one, Sleer. You'd be more likely to convince Roj Blake to side with the Federation.

I can't believe he's serious.

I find it interesting that the BBC banned these episodes yet in 'Blakes 7' there were many examples of torture, drug taking and Roj Blake was even a convicted child molester.

I'm even thinking Dr Who might have had torture scenes and disfigurement.
Perhaps these were considered 'adult fare'.

 

[Hypaspist]

I don't get it. Dr Who was always more violent and sometimes gruesome than anything Trek has ever done. I remember watching an episode as a kid where one of the 'fish guys' (the ones that wear bullet shaped helmets and have no necks) burning to death and his eyes roasting and bubbling. Seriously the only thing that approached that level of violence in Trek was the implied disgusting death of the Vulcan science officer in TMP...which was the only G rated film in the franchise, ironically.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I don't get it. Dr Who was always more violent and sometimes gruesome than anything Trek has ever done. I remember watching an episode as a kid where one of the 'fish guys' (the ones that wear bullet shaped helmets and have no necks) burning to death and his eyes roasting and bubbling. Seriously the only thing that approached that level of violence in Trek was the implied disgusting death of the Vulcan science officer in TMP...which was the only G rated film in the franchise, ironically.

The BBC produces Doctor Who, and their house brand got a pass. Hypocrites.