Encyclopedia Titanica

BBC plans it's worst night of Horror

Broadcast of scene in sinking titanic

Daily Herald

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Concern felt for relations of victims

The BBC is planning to give its vast public a night of horror which, in gruesome realism, is likely to surpass anything given before.

The programme depicting the sinking of the Titanic, which crashed into an iceberg in mid-Atlantic on April 14, 1912, has been devised by Mr Filson Young the advisor on programmes.

Of the 2,201 passengers [sic] in the Titanic only 711 were saved. Of those who met their death within a few moments 52 of children and 99 were women.

Although this ghastly chapter in British sea history took place 20 years ago, many of the relatives of those who perished are still alive.

Mr WT Stead the famous journalist, lost his life in the Titanic.

Must Not Listern

"I certainly would not let my mother listen in," Miss Estelle Stead, his daughter, told the daily Herald representative yesterday.

Miss Stead pointed out that the broadcast of such a program might be a shock to anyone who, having lost someone in the disaster, turned on the item without warning.

Miss Elsie Phillips, sister of Jack Phillips, the chief wireless operator of the titanic, who lives at Farncombe, Surrey, said, "I think it is a horrible idea to have such a painful memories revived.

"We shall have a sufficiently sad memories on April 15, the 20th anniversary of the founding of the titanic."

Mr Phillips went down with his ship. An official of the BBC told the daily Herald that it had not been definitely decided to give this programme.

"We shall consider every point of view," he said.

"Friday morning," [broadcast 4 February 1932] one of the BBC's most recent studies in terror, described the sensations of passengers crossing the channel by air, and whose machine made a forced landing.

Condemned by Doctors

It was pointed out by Imperial Airways at the time that the broadcast of such a play would not be likely to encourage air travel.

"The effect on an emotional mind of a broadcast of the "Titanic" disaster is likely to be bad," a West-end specialist told the Daily Herald "to anyone who is at all neurotic definite damage is likely to be caused."

Dr Hector Munro, the neurologist, said: "how such fare can be described as entertainment I don't know."

Another doctor spoke of the dangers of shock.

"There were many horrible incidents in the Titanic disaster," he said. "Some of the foreign crew ran amok.

If the revolver shots and the shrieks of the terrified and the pitiful cries of the drowning are to be reproduced, I say it is a form of cruelty to put such a program before countless listeners who may have had no warning.

"it is absolutely unnecessary, and it should not be done."

Comment and discuss

  1. Mark Baber Mark Baber
    Over the past couple of days I've come across a some newspaper articles from all parts of the world about a 1932 BBC radio play about Titanic's sinking which was apparently never produced and protests by, among others, Arthur Rostron, to such a broadcast. I've added four of those articles to ET: a 25 February article from The Mercury of Hobart, Tasmania - TITANIC TRAGEDY--Broadcast Play--Captain Rostron's Protest, an article of the same date from The New York Times, carrying an AP release that appeared in a number of newspapers in North America; a third article of the same date, this one from The Times, publishing a BBC statement denying that such a program was in the offing; and a 10 March article from The Evening Post of Wellington, which suggests that the author of the play in question might have been Filson Young. I don't have immediate access to any of the news articles referred to in the BBC statement. If anyone has any further info, feel free to supplement this thread.
  2. Aaron_2016 Aaron_2016
    In February 1932 the public got word that a graphic Titanic play was going to be broadcast for the 20th anniversary of the sinking. The public protested and the BBC received widespread condemnation from listeners. The decision to broadcast the play was stopped. Do you agree that it was too early and in poor taste to broadcast a play about the Titanic disaster in 1932?Here are some of the UK news bulletins from newspapers nationwide.- On With The Radio: We are told that the BBC are arranging a production written around the sinking of the Titanic in mid-Atlantic in 1912, and already an outcry is being raised against broadcasting such a work.- A play based on the sinking of the Titanic would renew in us admiration for the greatness to which the human spirit may rise in adversity.- DIFFICULTIES OF HISTORICAL DRAMAA broadcast based on the Titanic disaster has attracted much attention and protest this week.- TOO CRUEL TO RELATIVES, SAYS COMMANDER OF RESCUE LINERWireless operator on Titanic, said. "I think it is a horrible idea to have such painful memories revived. We shall have sufficiently sad memories on April 15, the anniversary of the foundering of the Titanic."- SINKING TITANIC CONCERN FELT FOR RELATIONS OF VICTIMS- The BBC has given us plays of horror.....It thought lately of revising the tragedy of the Titanic, to the vociferous indignation of many.- Public night of horror likely to
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Encyclopedia Titanica (2022) BBC plans it's worst night of Horror (Daily Herald, Tuesday 23rd February 1932, ref: #635, published 10 February 2022, generated 10th November 2024 12:34:16 PM); URL : https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/bbc-plans-its-worst-night-of-horror.html