BBC DJ brands Fairytale of New York 'chav bilge' and calls for it to be banned
 

Agree or disagree?

A BBC DJ has called for a classic Christmas song to be banned from the radio as he doesn't think it's appropriate for children to hear

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BBC Radio presenter Alex Dyke has caused controversy online after admitting he is "no longer comfortable" with the Christmas hit, Fairytale of New York.

Before hosting his afternoon show on BBC Radio Solent on Tuesday, December 3, the 57-year-old shared a series of now-deleted tweets ranting about the song.


In his posts, he slammed the 1987 track by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, calling it an "offensive pile of downmarket chav bilge".

He wrote: "Radio, let's ban Fairytale Of New York this Christmas!

"'You're a slut on junk, you scumbag, cheap lousy ******' - is this what we want our kids singing in the back of the car?

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"It's an offensive pile of downmarket chav bilge. We can do better!"

Alongside the tweet he shared a photo of The Pogues' frontman, Shane MacGowan, missing his front teeth and looking rather dishevelled.

He later reiterated his point while on air, saying: "I hope I'm not going to ruin your Christmas, but I've decided that I am no longer comfortable with playing Fairytale of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl.

"I think Christmas songs should be about excited children, toys, Christmas trees, snowy streets, ski lodges, reindeer, wrapping paper, Santa, family, peace on earth and love.

"I just find The Pogues' Fairytale of New York a nasty, nasty song.

"I think it should be banned, I really do, so I won't be playing this record on the radio of this Christmas."

He added that by not playing the song, he was "making a stand for the good of the people".

A BBC spokesperson said they wouldn't actually be banning the song on their stations.

They commented: "This was Alex's decision. There is no ban. We have a strict music policy that we expect to be followed."

Fairytale of New York has sold close to 1.5 million copies to date and is often voted one of the nation's favourite Christmas songs - despite having a few offensive lyrics.

BBC Radio One had previously attempted to censor certain lyrics back in 2007, but this was met with backlash.

Dyke's comments this week were also met with backlash, with one person on Twitter writing: "Can we ban him instead? That will forever be a classic, he will be forgotten in days."

Another replied: "Fairytale of New York is a Christmas classic. All this nonsense about anything pre-2000 being offensive is ridiculous.

"It’s a fun song. Voice your opinion but don’t try to ban it. You’ll lose listeners which you can’t afford to do."

However some people did agree with his words and congratulated him on taking a stand.
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i'd say don't take Christmas songs that serious

Strewth.:fist:
Leave Xmas alone.

Well, he does look like he's acquainted with offensive piles of downmarket chav bilge.

I mean it's certainly got offensive lyrics in it but it's supposed to be portraying addiction and a toxic relationship

Parent your own kids and let other people parent their own.

If you don't want them singing it in the back of the car... don't put it on.

I’m offended by his last name, he should be removed from radio

Damn, I really cared about what the host of the afternoon show on BBC Radio Solent thought, as well :(

They should ban the word ****** from the lyrics, just like TIBB.

This BS gets dredged up every year. No, the song should not be banned or censored.

Also, he sounds like a misogynist - he wants a song with the word "faggot" banned, but he won't change his surname from "Dyke"?!

She could just be calling him a substandard meatball for all we know? Has anyone asked her? No! Do one Dyke :hmph:

I liked the suggested edit of "You scumbag, you maggot, you taped over Taggart"

I hate the song with an actual passion but I'm generally against "ban dis filf" movements so no I don't think it should be banned, unless it can be specifically banned from my own earholes.

haha, in old Irish slang "faggot" is basically a generic insult for a scumbag man. From the rest of the song, it's pretty obvious that's what the context the word is being used in, there's no reason to think she's randomly calling him gay :joker:

I've never actually heard anyone in Ireland use the word in anyway but as reference to being gay but both Shane and Kirsty are English anyway so maybe wrongly assumed we did use it in that way from something their great great grandparents used to say or something? :laugh:

I have just heard it in the car and the words have been changed to tired and haggard I am sure

Anyway its not Christmas until I have shoed it down the A12 with it blaring out :laugh:

Love it, must be my inner chav

I love it too, my favourite Christmas song :love:

I don't even like the song but it's part of Christmas now, leave it alone.

I do think it's bilge but I actually disagree with the "chav" comment... in fact one of the reasons I dislike it as much as I do is the sheer scale of pretentious populism that's attached to the damn thing. I also don't think that Christmas is in particular need of being heavily linked to a song about alcoholism, heroin and lowkey domestic abuse. It's not grounded, quirky or gritty... it's a miserable dishwater soaked rag of a song. It's seen as the down to earth, "less mainstream" version of Christmas and people fap themselves silly over that, and I have no idea why, because it is absolutely everywhere, constantly. For months.

:suspect:... To top it all off... Irishface.

:laugh2:

Joyless bast... look at all the dodgy sexualised lyrics in some songs.
I'll never forget cringing myself inside out listening to my little angel sing ' I wanna have sex on the beach, cmon everybody' on her kareoke!! :(

just blur out the bad words its not hard..

To be fair Kizzy, most people don't consider "Sex on the beach" to be a Christmas bop.

It's so overplayed that I hate it now, I used to like it but every year it gets played more and more.

It baffles me why people get so offended at the thought of it getting censored.. is it really that important for people to be able to hear '******' in a song?

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No, I wouldn't care if they changed it to a different word but that's not the question, the question is whether the whole song should be banned because of other lines too, not just that one

Its one of the best

Exactly!! It's like how John Legend decided to "sanitise" Baby It's Cold Outside, instead of cleaning up some of the horribly misogynistic hiphop "songs" from his peers...

^ I don't necessarily think they need cleaning up, people should be able to release whatever songs they want as long as they're happy to be called names for it. I just think it's weird how people target some things and not others.

I think it's more exasperation than offence. There's just no need or justification to change it, so why remove one of the most popular Christmas songs from circulation?

I dont think it should be banned from radio, maybe take out words like 'slut' :shrug: even if it was banned from radio, its not like people cant listen to it elsewhere

its a word or 2, not the entire song..

But that bit's really catchy :dance::dance:

I'm not disagreeing, personally idrc what lyrics are in the song, I've heard worse, but idk why this song always gets a free pass on radio when others dont.

Maybe you're not old enough to have heard it?

... I take it back.

:laugh2:

I'm 41

Still Young

Why thank you sir :douf:

Calm down you thirsty bugger, she's married.

Exactly, there are some buildings older than you :) People live to their hundreds now!