Banned! The Mary Whitehouse Story - Season 1
Season 1
Episodes
Episode 1
At a time when debates about free speech feel increasingly polarised, we look back to 1963 when a Midlands housewife and teacher named Mary Whitehouse became the original, self-styled ‘cancel culture' warrior. Armed with just a typewriter, she began a 30-year campaign to turn back the tide of the permissive culture she saw sweeping through society with the advent of the sexual revolution.
This series revisits Whitehouse's campaigns, from her attacks on the BBC and boycotts against films like Last Tango in Paris to conflicts with feminists and the gay liberation movement, and her contention that pornography, made mainly by men for men, was not going to lead to greater happiness for society. Whilst her views on some issues are a long way from the prevailing attitudes today, questions about the after-effects of the sexual revolution continue to resonate.
Using a vast campaigning archive housed at the University of Essex, and featuring contributions from Gyles Brandreth, Michael Grade, Beatrix Campbell, Ken Loach and Peter Bradshaw, the series hears first-hand testimony from the people who knew her, who studied her work - including author Ben Thompson - and who took her on: from activist Peter Tatchell to millionaire pornographer and now co-owner of West Ham United, David Sullivan.
Episode 2
During the 1970s, Mary's battle with permissive society is hotting up, as ideas of progress and suggestions that nothing should be censored gain currency. Nude actress and men's magazine columnist Fiona Richmond publicly objects to Mary's ‘bullying' desire to standing in the way of her personal freedoms, and the then pornographer, now co-owner of West Ham FC, David Sullivan decides to take the fight to Mary with the audacious move of calling his flagship porn magazine Whitehouse.
In her final campaigning phase, Mary gets closer to the seat of power than anyone thought possible through her relationship with Margaret Thatcher. The birth of home video and her railing against so-called ‘video nasties' raise her profile even further. But the growth of entertainment media, culminating in the internet, overtakes anything Whitehouse can do to censor content.
Recently Updated Shows
The Westies
The Westies takes place during the construction of the Jacob Javitz Convention Center on the Westies' home turf in Hell's Kitchen, which promises a financial windfall. Despite being outnumbered fifty-to-one by the Five Families of the Italian Mafia, the Westies' legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente. But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI's ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia.
Expedition X
In Expedition X, Josh Gates joined by scientist Phil Torres and paranormal researcher Heather Amaro to investigate reports of supernatural encounters, mysterious creatures, and astonishing extraterrestrial phenomena. Whether trekking through the remote jungles of Cambodia in search of a legendary ape-man or exploring the secrets of the world's largest cave system right here in the United States, the Expedition X team is taking viewers to the stranger side of the unknown.
Making her debut in Expedition X Season 8 is third-generation paranormal investigator Heather Amaro. Amaro notably replaced former host Jessica Chobot, who was one of the main stars of Expedition X for its first seven seasons.
Mean Girl Murders
Mean Girl Murders explores the inner workings of cutthroat cliques, vicious backbiting and cruel intentions.
The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch
Gaining full and unprecedented access to one of the most infamous and secretive hotspots of paranormal and UFO-related activities on earth, The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch will feature a team of scientists and experts who will conduct a thorough search of this infamous 512-acre property located in Utah's Uinta Basin. They will attempt to find out the truth behind more than 200 years of mysteries - involving everything from UFO sightings and paranormal activities to animal mutilations and Native American legends of a shape-shifting creature known simply as The Skinwalker.