The collection

Selected items

• At Last the 1948 Show
• BBC Television Newsreel
• Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
• Delius: Song of Summer
• Links from ATV output
• Quatermass and the Pit
• Opening of Channel Four
• Steptoe and Son
• The Falklands Play
• The War Game

Contact and access

The War Game Date: 1965 Television Company / Broadcaster: BBC Original format: contact the archive for details Viewing format: contact the archive for details Sound/Silent: sound B&W/Colour: black and white Copyright: contact the archive for further details Extracts supplied courtesy of The British Film Institute National Film and Television Archive

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Peter Watkins' drama documentary 'The War Game' examines the potential consequences of a fictional nuclear attack on Kent. The controversial film used strong images and interviews to convey the horrors of nuclear war. The film was originally made for BBC television in 1965 but believed to be too shocking in content because of its, “failure to show hope and the resilience of the human spirit.” This perception resulted in its broadcast ban by the BBC in 1966, but under pressure, the Corporation did permit its theatrical release. It was not shown on television until 1985 and during the Reagan-Thatcher era. Watkins resigned from the BBC as a result of this episode. Made within the 'Wednesday Play' series, 'The War Game' was part of that significant history of single dramas made by the BBC across the 1960s and 1970s.