Children's TV In Britain “Nasty, Alien, Frightening"

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28447, 29 November 1957, Page 15

Children's TV In Britain “Nasty, Alien, Frightening"

(Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 28 Criticism of children’s television programmes as being nasty, repetitive, alien, terror-making, frightening and debased have been made by a group of 300 parents who have just completed a month’s survey of programmes for the Council of Children’s Welfare, an independent, non-politicai organisation set up to look after the interests of children. Programmes on both the 8.8. C. and commercial television have come under attack, and were considered at a meeting called by the council in London. A summary of replies by viewers showed they thought far too many films were screened dealing with shooting and death oy violence. A gangster was glorified as a hero, and sometimes a programme ended with his death or punishment in the last four minutes, but the other 26 minutes were devoted to presenting him as a hero. The Westerns were all monotonously the same violent pattern, too many of them plugging banalities of an alien folklore. There was poor diction—American accents and the language of violence were deplored. Children's lives were being made more difficult by confusing them on what was right. The American films showed it was permissible to wear jeans in America —but it was not all right in a British school. Discussing the reports, group’s secretary, Mr BluK

said it was the Wild West that the main posse of parents was riding for. Too much fighting was the repeated verdict.

“I have a small son who, when I meet him, stretches out a left uppercut and says ‘Wham.’ It is the television good morning It is not the individual acts of fighting, but the great amount of violence that is objected to. Commercial television seems to be the. principal offender in this matter.”

A committee member, Mr George Milkes, said that in one week watching children’s television he had counted 21 men killed or wounded, 24 knocked down violently and 110 shot, not including carnage from bows and arrows.

Sir Robert Fraser, DirectorGeneral of Britain’s commercial television service, commenting on the group’s criticism, said the service had never been in the slightest doubt' about the immensity of its responsibilities towards its child viewers. “Children acquire their moral attitudes from those they admire —first their parents, then their heroes. Robin Hood’s example won’t lead any child astray. Western and other adventure stories amount to only a quarter of the entertainment provided for the young. “It is our policy to exclude scenes of agony and pitiless violence from such stories—they teach selflessness, honesty, endurance, and our duty to protect the weak,” he laid.