Radio 1 will put up signs in singers’ dressing rooms warning them they will be dropped from its live coverage if they swear following controversy over Lily Allen’s expletive-ridden performance at its Big Weekend event.
The station has also introduced a list of offensive words that will see any artist pulled immediately from the airwaves at any of its gigs.
It follows criticism by both media regulator Ofcom and the BBC Trust over Allen’s appearance at Radio 1’s Big Weekend which included six instances of the word “fuck”.
The trust’s editorial standards committee criticised Radio 1 management for not doing enough to ensure Allen did not swear during the Saturday teatime broadcast despite knowing in advance the songs she would sing and the explicit nature of the lyrics.
Radio 1 had assumed Allen would sing radio-friendly versions of her hits, including Sheezus, Smile and The Fear, the trust said, but had not sought any assurances or warned artists that they might be dropped.
The BBC said it would put notices up in artists’ dressing rooms at future Radio 1 events telling them: “Please do not swear on stage. Instances of strong language will result in your performance being dropped from Radio 1’s live coverage of this event.”
Artists or their representatives will be issued with a further warning that their performance will be axed with “no guarantee” that it would be broadcast at a later date.
The trust’s ruling, published on Monday – the same day as the Ofcom verdict – was heavily critical of BBC management, saying it was not the first time Radio 1 or the corporation had been caught out during a live concert.
Four “fucks” – or its derivative – were broadcast during the Black Eyed Peas’ performance at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in 2011. There were similar instances during the Live 8 broadcast in 2005 and the Live Earth broadcast on Radio 1 two years later.
The trust said they had “expected that Radio 1 would have robust procedures in place to reduce the risk of strong language being broadcast” and were “concerned that the BBC appeared to rely on the artists judging what was acceptable”.
An estimated 654,000 listeners to be tuned to Radio 1, including 25,600 children aged between 10 and 14, during the broadcast between 5.30pm and 6.15pm on 24 May.
Allen was considered “medium risk” by Radio 1, meaning there was “some history of swearing although not excessive”.
The BBC said it had been sent Allen’s set list in advance, including the songs with explicit lyrics, but said “on the vast majority of occasions artists self-edit their lyrics during live radio performances”.
It said it had “significantly tightened” editorial guidelines as a result to “minimise risk” of a repeat, applying to all Radio 1 outside broadcasts before 7pm.
The BBC said it wanted to bring an “authentic festival atmosphere” to listeners, but the trust said it was more likely to be able to do this if it did not have to broadcast repeated warnings and apologies about explicit language.
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