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Ref. comment about ITV\'s sudden decision to censor a film (\'\'\
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Ref. comment about ITV\\\'s sudden decision to censor a film (\\\'\\\'\\\"Carry on Camping\\\"\\\'\\\') which since the middle 1970\\\'s has been screened in its entirety on British TV with no perceived need to edit anything out. Until now. in December 2013, a version was shown with some significant cuts.
the main page reads:
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Similar revisionism on the part of the ITV network saw edits to the nudge-nudge double-entendre-laden movie Carry On Camping. The film opens with sex-starved leery Sid James and Bernard Bresslaw taking their girlfriends to the screening of one of those 1950\\\'s nudist movies. Their intent is to soften the girls up to visiting a nudist camp. For most of the period 1975 - 2010, TV screenings of this film shrugged and allowed the extracts from the nudist film to be broadcast uncensored, on the grounds that this is about as sexually arousing as a cup of cold tea. But in early 2014, ITV abruptly censored out these extracts, leaving the early part of the film somewhat lopsided. You see the character reaction, but not what they are reacting to. When approached to explain, ITV explained that as a family network, they had obligations to a family audience. They did not explain why previously they had let the scenes stand, and felt no such obligation then... (The scene where Barbara Windsor\\\'s bikini top flies off and a nipple is briefly exposed was allowed to stand, though).
********************
I was interested enough to send the following email to ITV Viewer Services.
**********************
Hi!
Enjoying an indulgent morning of cheesey old \\\"Carry On...\\\" movies on ITV3, thank you very much. This brings back good memories of times spent viewing them over the last thirty odd years.
The current one in the series is \\\"Carry On Camping\\\".
I note, with some amusement, you chose to screen an edited, or possibly censored, version. I also note that every time I have seen this film previously, at whatever time of day TV has screened it, it always opens with a scene in a cinema where Sid James and others are watching one of those 1950\\\'s nudist movies. Quite a few minutes of innocuous and tame footage from the nudist film was incorporated into the opening scene of Carry On Camping - non-sexualised nudity with all the erotic content of a cup of cold tea. If nothing else, the onscreen nudity gives a reason for Sid and Bernard\\\'s female companions in the cinema to express shock and revulsion.
I have seen this film two or three times before, once on the BBC and twice on Granada. On all occasions it was shown before the 9:00 watershed, and the opening establishing footage of the nudist camp was shown in all its dubious cheesey glory.
Yet ITV\\\'s screening of the film today censored this out - you showed an edited version where we could see the reactions of the characters to what was on screen, but not the previously shown on-screen material. This made the scene oddly lopsided. As this film has been shown unedited before the watershed in the past, it seems odd you should be censoring it now. Could I politely ask, out of curiosity, what the reason for the edit was? (The film is still running even as I type - it will be interesting to see if the famous scene where Barbara Windsor loses her bikini top, and a nipple is briefly visible, has also been censored out!)
With thanks!
********************************
Somebody called Sue from ITV replied in a bland anodyne way:
Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for your recent email regarding Carry On Camping.
I can confirm that your comments have been noted here at ITV Viewer Services.
As a UK broadcaster, we are regulated by Ofcom, all programming must be compliant with the Broadcasting Code that is set by Ofcom - therefore this is the reason why content is sometimes edited for a UK audience.
May I take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time to contact us here at ITV Viewer Services.
If we can be of further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us.
Kind regards,
Sue
ITV Viewer Services Officer
******************************************
This still begs the question of why censorship was evidently not seen as necessary in earlier TV screenings. The only possibility is that, as OFCOM is a fairly recent regulatory body, censorship is now being forced on British TV channels by a government agency. Although I was hard-put to find a compelling reason for the cuts in OFCOM\\\'s statement of intent. So TV could be passing the buck... or else, like that episode of \\\"Family Guy\\\" where the American equivalent (the FCC?) forces Peter Griffin\\\'s TV channel off the air, British Tv is now getting more repressive?
Any ideas, troperland?
the main page reads:
***************************
Similar revisionism on the part of the ITV network saw edits to the nudge-nudge double-entendre-laden movie Carry On Camping. The film opens with sex-starved leery Sid James and Bernard Bresslaw taking their girlfriends to the screening of one of those 1950\\\'s nudist movies. Their intent is to soften the girls up to visiting a nudist camp. For most of the period 1975 - 2010, TV screenings of this film shrugged and allowed the extracts from the nudist film to be broadcast uncensored, on the grounds that this is about as sexually arousing as a cup of cold tea. But in early 2014, ITV abruptly censored out these extracts, leaving the early part of the film somewhat lopsided. You see the character reaction, but not what they are reacting to. When approached to explain, ITV explained that as a family network, they had obligations to a family audience. They did not explain why previously they had let the scenes stand, and felt no such obligation then... (The scene where Barbara Windsor\\\'s bikini top flies off and a nipple is briefly exposed was allowed to stand, though).
********************
I was interested enough to send the following email to ITV Viewer Services.
**********************
Hi!
Enjoying an indulgent morning of cheesey old \\\"Carry On...\\\" movies on ITV3, thank you very much. This brings back good memories of times spent viewing them over the last thirty odd years.
The current one in the series is \\\"Carry On Camping\\\".
I note, with some amusement, you chose to screen an edited, or possibly censored, version. I also note that every time I have seen this film previously, at whatever time of day TV has screened it, it always opens with a scene in a cinema where Sid James and others are watching one of those 1950\\\'s nudist movies. Quite a few minutes of innocuous and tame footage from the nudist film was incorporated into the opening scene of Carry On Camping - non-sexualised nudity with all the erotic content of a cup of cold tea. If nothing else, the onscreen nudity gives a reason for Sid and Bernard\\\'s female companions in the cinema to express shock and revulsion.
I have seen this film two or three times before, once on the BBC and twice on Granada. On all occasions it was shown before the 9:00 watershed, and the opening establishing footage of the nudist camp was shown in all its dubious cheesey glory.
Yet ITV\\\'s screening of the film today censored this out - you showed an edited version where we could see the reactions of the characters to what was on screen, but not the previously shown on-screen material. This made the scene oddly lopsided. As this film has been shown unedited before the watershed in the past, it seems odd you should be censoring it now. Could I politely ask, out of curiosity, what the reason for the edit was? (The film is still running even as I type - it will be interesting to see if the famous scene where Barbara Windsor loses her bikini top, and a nipple is briefly visible, has also been censored out!)
With thanks!
********************************
Somebody called Sue from ITV replied in a bland anodyne way:
Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for your recent email regarding Carry On Camping.
I can confirm that your comments have been noted here at ITV Viewer Services.
As a UK broadcaster, we are regulated by Ofcom, all programming must be compliant with the Broadcasting Code that is set by Ofcom - therefore this is the reason why content is sometimes edited for a UK audience.
May I take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time to contact us here at ITV Viewer Services.
If we can be of further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us.
Kind regards,
Sue
ITV Viewer Services Officer
******************************************
This still begs the question of why censorship was evidently not seen as necessary in earlier TV screenings. The only possibility is that, as OFCOM is a fairly recent regulatory body, censorship is now being forced on British TV channels by a government agency. Although I was hard-put to find a compelling reason for the cuts in OFCOM\\\'s statement of intent. So TV could be passing the buck... or else, like that episode of \\\"Family Guy\\\" where the American equivalent (the FCC?) forces Peter Griffin\\\'s TV channel off the air, British Tv is now getting more repressive?
Any ideas, troperland?
