BBC Radio subtle censoring of Somerset Maugham

[Forget It (U2079353)]

I've noticed some very subtle censoring in a recent R4 Extra repeat of W. Somerset Maugham's Footprints In The Jungle
broadcast in the Maugham's Eye View series. It is a colonial piece so it has it's peccadillos.
The programme (as censored) is available at the time of writing here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00m0gf6

I only became aware of the censoring due to a discrepancy in the running length of this repeat compared to an off-air recording I made at an earlier time. Okay I'm a bit of a Radio drama geek.

So I investigated and noticed that every time the word "coolie" was mentioned the entire phrase surround that word has been cut out - obscuring the meaning somewhat.

I wonder if Auntie is doing this manually or has an Orwellian AI taken over?

Any thoughts?

[Cockney Sparrow]

I presume its not an AI set up rampaging through the archives of BBC Radio programmes. In which case at some point in some way a human has decided to do it.

Presumably its worth the cost in staff time to edit in this way. With Dirk Bogarde narrating it may be seen as worth the effort.

I've noticed before individidual programmes in 6 part comedy type programmes not being available for repeat and it may be that the content doesn't stand up today, for whatever reason.

Also, the TV programme "Secret History of our streets" has been repeated but episode 3, Caledonian Road, wasn't. Or rather, at the time of recent re-broadcast (November/December 2016) I'm very sure it wasn't because I searched the internet for it. Your post has prompted me to find it today on a non-BBC site. I'll watch it sometime and update this post if I can see why the BBC wouldn't broadcast it again.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01k6k3m

Incidentally, I watched a programme from 1975 about Augustus and Gwen John on the iplayer and I noticed something different about those "street" shots that programmes use to fill up the screen when narration needs to continue. More seconds than would be the case today dwelt young ladies in tight jeans walking along the street (from behind), and also attractive young ladies (walking together, etc) from the front. Sensibilities move on - just as well, eh?

[french frank]

Sensibilities move on - just as well, eh

Intrigued by the shortened thread title on my laptop (BBC Radio subtle censoring of Somerset) - sensibilities are taken into consideration now in a way that they weren't in the days, even of Till Death Do Us Part, though in some cases in might be thought possible for the pendulum to swing too far in the opposite direction. I suppose we are no different from previous eras in, in most cases, living within our contemporary culture - the one that we have created - and thinking it is the correct direction of travel. Onwards and upwards.

[Ein Heldenleben]

There are whole swathes of English and American Literature which are now considered problematic. The classic example is Huckleberry Finn , in some eyes . though not mine, the greatest American novel which is replete with the offensive N word. The default position of most broadcasters is to do what ever causes least offence so it's difficult to see that tale being broadcast even though it is a masterpiece. I read last night Martin Luther King's I have a Dream speech - possibly one of the greatest pieces of oratory of the 20th century. He refers to the “American negro” (the much more offensive N word is a dialect varation of that) . Nowadays the word negro is usually prefaced on Radio 3 with a reference to “outdated speech.”
The thread title made me laugh - I know my Somerset neighbours like their zider but no need to censor them surely ...

[Bryn]

There are whole swathes of English and American Literature which are now considered problematic. The classic example is Huckleberry Finn , in some eyes . though not mine, the greatest American novel which is replete with the offensive N word. The default position of most broadcasters is to do what ever causes least offence so it's difficult to see that tale being broadcast even though it is a masterpiece. I read last night Martin Luther King's I have a Dream speech - possibly one of the greatest pieces of oratory of the 20th century. He refers to the “American negro” (the much more offensive N word is a dialect varation of that) . Nowadays the word negro is usually prefaced on Radio 3 with a reference to “outdated speech.”
The thread title made me laugh - I know my Somerset neighbours like their zider but no need to censor them surely ...

How would Radio 3 introduce a certain popular lillle piece by Debussy, these days? Perhaps they just avoid playing it. Agatha Christie's book title transmuted into "And then there were none", which was a clumsily blatant conceit.

[Serial_Apologist]

There are whole swathes of English and American Literature which are now considered problematic. The classic example is Huckleberry Finn , in some eyes . though not mine, the greatest American novel which is replete with the offensive N word. The default position of most broadcasters is to do what ever causes least offence so it's difficult to see that tale being broadcast even though it is a masterpiece. I read last night Martin Luther King's I have a Dream speech - possibly one of the greatest pieces of oratory of the 20th century. He refers to the “American negro” (the much more offensive N word is a dialect varation of that) . Nowadays the word negro is usually prefaced on Radio 3 with a reference to “outdated speech.”
The thread title made me laugh - I know my Somerset neighbours like their zider but no need to censor them surely ...

As long ago as 20 years I myself felt given cause to baulk at the inclusion of the word "negro" in an interview with a jazz musician for a publication - so such sensibilities are not new. In the end it was included in the publication, so was clearly considered all right at the time.

[Serial_Apologist]

How would Radio 3 introduce a certain popular lillle piece by Debussy, these days? Perhaps they just avoid playing it. Agatha Christie's book title transmuted into "And then there were none", which was a clumsily blatant conceit.

I think I may have seen the title given simply as "Cakewalk" when the piece in question has been broadcast quite recently. Incidentally the piece has to be one of the first attempts at composing a ragtime piece by a leading white European composer (1908), though of course Ives had been including ragtime episodes (at least) a lot earlier than that; and Dvorak and Delius had written "spirituals" into longer pieces - let's call them that. I wonder what Debussy's views on race were - if he was thought to have had any, of course!

[Bryn]

I think I may have seen the title given simply as "Cakewalk" when the piece in question has been broadcast quite recently. Incidentally the piece has to be one of the first attempts at composing a ragtime piece by a leading white European composer (1908), though of course Ives had been including ragtime episodes (at least) a lot earlier than that; and Dvorak and Delius had written "spirituals" into longer pieces - let's call them that. I wonder what Debussy's views on race were - if he was thought to have had any, of course!

Oh golly! I think you may have the wrong piece in mind. The one I have in mind bears the word "little" with the final (5 letter) word ending in "ar" in its original ('English') title.

[Serial_Apologist]

Oh golly! I think you may have the wrong piece in mind. The one I have in mind bears the word "little" with the final (5 letter) word ending in "ar" in its original ('English') title.

Golly indeed!!! Yes, the wrong piece...

[LHC]

Oh golly! I think you may have the wrong piece in mind. The one I have in mind bears the word "little" with the final (5 letter) word ending in "ar" in its original ('English') title.

It was also published with the alternative title Le petit nègre; I wonder if this would be considered less inflammatory?

[Bryn]

It was also published with the alternative title Le petit nègre; I wonder if this would be considered less inflammatory?

There is also a song by Frank Zappa which treats with what he saw as the slavish impositions of many rock musicians' contracts. The vocals were variously delivered by Zappa himself, Ray White and Bobby Martin. There are recorded performances of it to be found on both CD and DVD.

[muzzer]

A certain book by Conrad is now Collected Short Stories not The N-Word of the Narcissus and other stories.

[LMcD]

A certain book by Conrad is now Collected Short Stories not The N-Word of the Narcissus and other stories.

A certain book by Agatha Christie is now called 'And Then There Were None', and the headstone of the grave of 617 Squadron's dog was recently replaced.

[Ein Heldenleben]

The Conrad short story is a masterpiece ...the Agatha Christie isn’t ...

[LHC]

A certain book by Conrad is now Collected Short Stories not The N-Word of the Narcissus and other stories.

There appear to be several versions available that still use the original title, but it is not especially surprising that some publishers are using a different, less controversial title for a collection of short stories. I suspect the unexpurgated story is still in the collection; its just that it’s no longer used as the title for the overall collection.