The curse of modern viewing IT'S becoming increasingly impossible to avoid sexual scenes, blasphemy and swearing after the 9pm so-called 'watershed' on television.

Many schoolkids are still up and about at that time, especially during holidays and weekends, and parents have a hard job trying to 'channel hop' to more decent territory whenever yet another foul-mouthed sex and violence film or play looms up.

Now, I'm no prude by any means but I think it's gone far beyond the realms of acceptability, especially when pondering what television once stood for, with all its original declarations of family values.

A concerned Christian brought to my attention the following translation of the inscription from1931 which she says appears on the dedication panel in the BBC's Broadcasting House. 'This Temple of the Arts and Muses is dedicated to Almighty God by the first Governors of Broadcasting in 1931, Sir John Reith being Director-General. It is their prayer that good seed sown may bring forth a good harvest, that all things hostile to peace and purity may be banished from this house and that the people, inclining their ear to whatsoever things are beautiful and honest and of good report, may tread the path of wisdom and uprightness.'

SEEMS to have a rather hollow ring to it these 67 years on.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.