A film which was made by the BBC in 1965 was once considered so frightening that it was kept off television for twenty years.
The film, called The War Game, showed what could happen if a nuclear attack ever hit Britain. At that time, BBC believed that the scenes were far too disturbing for viewers watching at home.
The powerful docu drama was written and directed by Peter Watkins and the story is about a fictional nuclear strike and what happens after it.
The film shows people trying to escape their towns, families being separated and communities who are struggling to survive after the explosion.
It also shows the terrible effects of radiation and the chaos that follows when basic services stop working.
Because of how realistic and frightening the film looked, BBC made that decision to not broadcast it on television. The broadcaster explained its reasoning at that time, saying, “The effect of the film has been judged by the BBC to be too horrifying for the medium of broadcasting. It will, however, be shown to invited audiences.”
Even though it was banned from TV, the film still received huge recognition as it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1967 and also received two BAFTA awards.
