I actually managed to miss the BBC One film last night that was based on the infamous TV campaigner, Mary Whitehouse. However Johann Hari and other TV critics seem to be united on one point. They all feel that the film looked rather warmly at Mary Whitehouse while ignoring her darker side. Scratch beneath the surface of Mrs Whitehouse and you’ll find she achieved her goals with a lethal combination of lawyers and religious intolerance for anyone else.

On the other hand, many viewers this morning were stroking their chins wondering if perhaps Whitehouse had a point. I mean, as the 9th series of Big Brother launches next week, the contrast between intelligent programming and lowbrow entertainment has never been so pronounced. Read more & comment »