Mary Whitehouse Speaks Out About The TV Commercials To Be Launched As Part Of The Campaign Against AIDS

Mary Whitehouse interviewed ahead of the screening of the government public information films on AIDS and HIV as part of the national publicity campaign.

In this brief interview in her office, Mary Whitehouse makes it clear that she has not seen the government's public information film about AIDS. She voices concern that people will switch off, and miss out on the message, if explicit terms are used, for example mentioning homosexual practices. She refers to television viewing in the home and the context of a family with children watching together early evening before 10pm. Rebecca Atherstone was the reporter for this video filmed to be shown in a news story on Anglia Television early evening news / magazine programme ‘About Anglia’.

Keywords

AIDS; HIV; Public information films; Public health: Viruses; Contagious diseases; Censorship; AIDS: Don't Die of Ignorance

Additional Description

'AIDS: Don't Die of Ignorance' was a public health campaign begun in 1986 by the British government in response to the rise of HIV/AIDS in the United Kingdom. The campaign is most remembered for the dramatic short films made for television by director Nicolas Roeg. One was voiced by John Hurt and featured an erupting volcano and a monolith carved with the letters AIDS. Another with captions showed an iceberg. Each was intended to shock people into reading the information leaflet being sent to every household. The films stressed the threat to everyone, man or woman, from a virus which can be passed on during sexual intercourse, carrying a deadly disease with no known cure, and urged 'protect yourself - don't die of ignorance'. From the 1960s onwards Mary Whitehouse campaigned against aspects of the permissive society including sex, violence and bad language, and was a high-profile figure, often lampooned. She founded the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association and was particularly critical of the BBC, the press and other public representation of liberal society, motivated by her Christian beliefs and experience as a teacher.