B.B.C. cuts Tire Raiser’

Press, 25 September 1987, Page 17

B.B.C. cuts Tire Raiser’

By

TONY VERDON,

London correspondent

The 8.8. C. has cut scenes from a New Zea-land-produced children’s television series because they were considered too violent for youngsters.

The scenes from the five-part drama serial, “The Fire Raisers,” showed an arsonist feigning horror at his actions. They were removed by the 8.8.C.’s children’s de-

partment during routine vetting. This is in spite of the fact that "The Fire Raiser” has been shown uncut elsewhere, including in New Zealand. The head of 8.8. C. children’s television, Anna Home, said the scenes simply could not be shown on British television. “We preview every frame of bought-in material, and although I don’t think we can be

much firmer, we are even more vigilant now than we were,” she said. The 8.8. C. did not want to show anything which could be upsetting or disturbing for children as young as four. "Some things actually go over their heads, and if they are bored they will just wander away,” she said. “The problem is that this restricts us in making

harder-hitting drama for the 13 to 18-year-olds, for whom there is at present no provision. Apart from the scenes in “The Fire Raisers,” the department has also cut a scene involving a funeral pyre from a Spanish cartoon.

The cut version of “The Fire Raisers” will be shown by the 8.8. C. in the next few months, as part of a package of 500 hours of children’s programmes.