The War Game is a 1965 docudrama directed by Peter Watkins that was banned from broadcast by the BBC but simultaneously won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. It depicts a nuclear war in Western Europe, showing the impact on the whole of Britain but particularly in South-East England. The film was not shown in full in any public arena until the 1980s. In this episode of ClandesTime I look at the film’s innovative style and make an argument for it being ‘peaceful predictive programming’. I also look at the questions of how and why the film was banned, using the director’s own views and government documents to shed light on this extraordinary work. We finish up this time with a comic look at how the BBC’s ‘independence’ is nullified by government influence.
Download: 128kbps mp3 – 64kbps mp3
Sources:
The War Game – global TV premiere on Alternative Views
Alternative Views at archive.org
Peter Watkins article on The War Game
PREM 13/139 – Office of the Prime Minister documents on The War Game
Yes, Minister S03e02 – The Challenge
