On 24 September 1940, shortly after 9 p.m., those British radio listeners who had tuned their sets to 213 metres on the medium wave (a little higher than the frequency of the BBC Home Service) were in for a shock. 'Have you ever seen Beaverbrook?' asked one of the announcers, referring to the current Minister for Aircraft Production. 'Well, we often have in meeting halls, and what we could never understand was, why he was on the platform instead of swinging from one chandelier to another ... He's a miserable little coward and the best way of dealing with a bloody fucker like him is to get hold of him personally and give him a good beating which he won't forget.' This attack on Lord Beaverbrook, which must have sent a frisson of delighted horror through its listeners, was something of a milestone in broadcasting history, for it was the first time that the word 'fuck' had been transmitted to a British radio audience.

LRB 9 March 1995 | PDF Download