If I wasn't reading Broadcast magazine last Friday, or looking at BBCi earlier, I wouldn't have known that it was Panorama's 50th anniversary. You would have thought that the Beeb would have made a special edition at least, but they're not making a song and dance about it. Did anyone else know about the anniversary?
IIRC a couple of months ago they followed up some of the biggest stories they've reported on, and there was a BBC book about the programme out in the shops.
OT; But has anyone else seen The Not the 9'O Clock News version of Panorama? The one where they tell you have to do origami with an old Radio Times. Now that was very funny stuff indeed.
More seriously though you don't think it still runs anymore, as it's only on at 10.15pm on a Sunday every now and again and you don't notice it in the schedule as you much as you used to.
It is indeed disturbing viewing - you can see in some of the footage what looks like a charred body in the fire when the vehicles were hit.
However there is one thing I have noticed - the bleeping out of the swearing, or rather the uneven application of it. Some parts (such as the reaction when the bomb hit the convoy) were left uncensored, whilst some other parts (like the time when they are driving around and pulling up on the side of the road and arguing about money, about 20 minutes into the programme) were bleeped out. Nearly every, if not all swearwords were replaced with a censorship bleep.
However there is one thing I have noticed - the bleeping out of the swearing, or rather the uneven application of it. Some parts (such as the reaction when the bomb hit the convoy) were left uncensored, whilst some other parts (like the time when they are driving around and pulling up on the side of the road and arguing about money, about 20 minutes into the programme) were bleeped out. Nearly every, if not all swearwords were replaced with a censorship bleep.
It may have been something to do with the bomb not hitting until after half past nine. Everything after that was left uncencsored.
There was swearing within the opening few moments of the programme, even on behalf of John Simpson himself. I think it was probably decided adding bleeps to the drama of the minutes after the bomb would have detracted the reality of it or something.
Where there was swearing in an arguement over money, and there was someone laughing at the swearing, it wasn't really necessary that we hear the swearing. It's relevance to the programme as a whole was minimal. Some viewers may have felt offended by the arguementative swearing, but would probably have accepted the swearing in the heat of the moment.