±«Óãtv

Real Lives

5 June 1984

Real Lives began on 5 June 1984. Described in the Radio Times as "a new series of filmed documentaries about the way people live now", the first episode looked at the gang culture of LA. Over two acclaimed series it examined a variety of subjects including the Liverpool drug squad; homeless people living in hotels; transvestites; the aftermath of the Bhopal disaster; hairdressing competitions, and NASA's attempts to retrieve lost satellites. However the episode At the Edge of the Union generated a political storm which threatened the ±«Óãtv's independence and was described at the time as the worst crisis in the Corporation's history.

A retrospective of Real Lives: At the Edge of the Union

At the Edge of the Union dealt with two people at the extremes of the Northern Irish political divide, Martin McGuinness and Gregory Campbell. Hearing of the programme, ±«Óãtv Secretary Leon Brittan wrote to the ±«Óãtv Governors, urging them to withdraw it - as it gave 'the oxygen of publicity' to the IRA - which they did after viewing it. This was despite the opposition of ±«Óãtv management. ±«Óãtv and ITN journalists staged a one-day strike in protest at the Governors' response to government pressure. The amended film was eventually shown in October 1985.

However, longer term, it led to even more strained relations between the ±«Óãtv and government, fundamentally changing the rapport between the two. It also precipitated the subsequent dismissal of Alasdair Milne, the then Director-General, in 1987. He was the first ±«Óãtv Director-General ever to be dismissed.

Further reading

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