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The Pogues Defend Decision Not To Play The Word 'F****t' In 'Fairytale Of New York'

The Pogues Defend Decision Not To Play The Word 'F****t' In 'Fairytale Of New York'

They shared a number of tweets supporting the decision

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

An almighty storm has erupted in the UK over news legendary band The Pogues will have part of their iconic Christmas song censored by the BBC.

For years, there has been hot debate about the specific lyric involving the word 'f****t' in 'Fairytale Of New York', which has been criticised as a homophobic slur.

As a result, the British broadcaster said it would censor the word this year in the lead-up to Christmas.

Instead of 'f****t', there will be the word 'haggard', while the word 'slut' will be completely censored.

The Pogues' Twitter account has been retweeting some of the positive reactions to the move from the BBC, indicating they wholeheartedly support the decision.

This year, Radio 1 will be playing an alternate version which will still feature lyrics sung by Kirsty MacColl - with the BBC saying that younger audiences could be particularly sensitive to the original.

BBC Radio 2 will play original version of the song, while 6 Music DJ will have both options available, according to the broadcaster.

A spokesperson for the BBC told LADbible: "We know the song is considered a Christmas classic and we will continue to play it this year, with our radio stations choosing the version of the song most relevant for their audience."

Last year, the BBC faced a backlash after the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special featured the 1987 version of the song.

A still from the music video for Fairytale of New York.
Pogue Mahone

Nessa, played by Ruth Jones, and Bryn, played by Rob Brydon, belted out the song - complete with offensive lyrics - during a karaoke session in the festive episode.

But many viewers found the scene uncomfortable and the BBC received 886 complaints, along with 11 complaints to telly watchdog Ofcom.

However, in an interview with the Sun Online at the time, Jones defended the use of the original song, explaining: "It is a different climate. But we have to remain true to the characters, to who they were.

"Characters in Gavin & Stacey are kind and big-hearted, I believe. So I think no one is going to be intentionally hurtful.

"But by the same token, they're not necessarily going to be completely politically correct or be aware of political correctness."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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@stewartperrie