B.B.C. Television Play

HC Deb 29 October 1970 vol 805 c402

20. Mr. Onslow

asked the Minister of State for Defence what assistance was given by his Department in the production of the British Broadcasting Corporation television play, "Sovereign's Company".

Mr. Ian Gilmour

None, Sir.

Mr. Onslow

In the light of the Answer to Question 17, can my hon. Friend tell us what reason he has been given by the B.B.C. for its anxiety to present as authentic what was in fact a fictional and deplorable travesty of conditions at R.M.A. Sandhurst? Will he ask the B.B.C. what good it thinks this image would do to the Services if it succeeded in getting it accepted generally?

Mr. Gilmour

I have had no communications with the B.B.C., but the Department refused to co-operate in the making of the film because it realised from the script that it would produce a thoroughly distorted picture of cadet life at Sandhurst.