Tony Blackburn OMG

[katemiddletonsothermum]

No one from my teenage radio days has been free from aspersions.

Now then, careful now. No false allegations please. But according to the Mirror, he's been axed by the BBC as he's now linked to an incident in 1971.

The Mirror's Thursday front page

AIBU to think WTF?

I think you could get some dirt on many celebrities from the 70s - mid nineties. If I recall didn't Chris Evans hook up with Billie Piper at 15 or had she just turned 16. . Can't think of the other muscian that went out with a 14 year old but didn't sleep with her until she was 16.

I remember being repeatly groped through the 80s and 90s and a friend was happy to have advances from the art teacher at our school.

I think the free love of the 60s caused a lot of trouble for the next couple of decades. Lots of confusion as power starts to shift.

There was definitely a culture that young girls 14-16 were OK to pursue. A lot hooking up with them and waiting until they were 'legal'.

That's interesting DrSeth and I don't think it's just because Blackburn is popular but also because what he says fits with BBC's apparent desire to not look too closely at what stars were up to, even on BBC premises.

I enjoy the BBC's programming and news coverage but have been shocked that many big names were / are untouchable.

Personally I think the BBC are hoping this one accusation to will damage TB credibility, to throw Him to the wolves for not complying.

I don't like TB, but the BBC has behaved appallingly throughout this whole thing.

Just a word of warning about star obsessed 14/15 year old girls. A symptom of autism is to be obsessed by famous people and girls are often not dx.

Should be a symptom for girls "can be"

Billie Piper was 18 when she met and married Chris Evans. She dated Ritchie Neville for 2 years from 16-18, but he was only 3 years older than her.

OK fair enough sorry Chris.

I believe the Report comes out around 10 am this morning. Get ready!

Of course, people say the BBC has changed. This is the same organisation that employs Boy George on a prime time Saturday evening TV show, a man who was convicted only a few years ago for kidnap and for beating an escort with a metal bar...

Is that why Boy George has been quiet for years?

Yes, he had a ew years way out in the wilderness. He has never hidden it, denied it, tried to pretend it wasn't him. He has been punished, publicly and privately - pictures of him in hi viz picking litter are readily available, as are full details of his crimes.

To use him as an example of the BBCs covering up sexual predation is disingenuous and misleading. He is an an ex offender, has acknowledged his crimes and served his time. Very different from any purported cover up and therefore irrelevant!

Blanche - I have not used it as an example of the BBC covering up sexual predation. I have used it as an example of the BBC being a questionable organisation. Yes, there is serving time and acknowledgement of crime. The question is whether the BBC, funded by ourselves, should be employing, at probably a large sum of money, someone convicted of two very serious events, on a prime time TV show.

If, Blackburn is proved to be correct, then the BBC was not only questionable in 1971, it is still questionable. They will employ someone guilty of two serious crimes for which a prison term was served, but suspend people purely on allegations (Paul Gambaccini) and sack others for no criminal charges or misconduct.

You don't see how the two things don't really fit together for a public broadcasting organisation?

OK. But that seems to me to be overly vindictive. After all the whole idea of prison is to serve your time and be returned to society. I don't agree that any organisation could or should refuse to employ anyone who has been convicted of a crime. That is not a socially healthy system.

I don't think that the BBC as public broadcasting company should have different morals/behaviours to the rest of society. So one part of your assertion is obviously the right thing and the other is equally obviously wrong:

Acting against Paul Gambaccini and not acting against Savile are two sides of the same, wholly abhorrent coin and the BBC must be brought to book for both of those behaviours.

Acting against people with criminal records, who have served their sentences is not what the wider society should do, it is overly punitive. So, given that there will always be exceptions to that rule, I don't agree that Boy George, Ashley Blake, Jonny Dymond, David Dickenson and, probably, countless others should be barred from working for the BBC.

Can't think of the other muscian that went out with a 14 year old but didn't sleep with her until she was 16.

Bill Wyman? And he married her when she was 18 and he was 52.

How has SC come out of this squeaky clean? He was represented by a convicted MC and paid bail for King.

By getting embroiled in a complicated adulterous pregnancy scenario Vertigo? It diverted everyone's attention.

What's the biscuut for?

Biscuit?

And I can't work out SC

Yes that's it Nanny.

An impressario with a yacht Blanche

Not sure who you mean.

Samcro on page 1 gave the OP a biscuit. I wondered why.

Doh! Thanks. Tall trousered, small dog, loves his mum... him

Got to love your mum

I assume the biscuit was for the possible scurrilousness accusations these threads usually stir up. This one is marginally different only because of TBs open statement and the general consensus that the Beeb have probably made an error!

Maybe it's one of those seachanges in organisational culture (in response to the internal inquiry) and everyone who has ever done anything remotely racy or dubious or even comment-worthy is for the high jump?

Maybe Boy George next?