The BBC has pulled the drama The Curse of Steptoe from broadcasts and recalled its DVD after the BBC Trust ruled it 'unfair and inaccurate' following complaints.
Background of the Drama
The Curse of Steptoe was a BBC drama about the making of the beloved sitcom Steptoe and Son, which ranks amongst the BBC's most cherished sitcoms, attracting approximately 28 million viewers during its height. The series depicted the turbulent, tragicomic existence of a father and son operating a rag-and-bone enterprise. Father Albert was portrayed by Wilfrid Brambell, while his exasperated, socially ambitious son Harold was played by Harry H. Corbett.
Given its enduring impact, the broadcaster's announcement of a film exploring the programme's creation came as little surprise. The Curse of Steptoe transmitted in 2008, featuring acclaimed actors Phil Davis and Jason Isaacs as Corbett and Brambell respectively. Broadcast on BBC Four on 19 March, it delivered the channel's highest viewing figures to that point, with an estimated 1.41 million people watching.
Critical Acclaim and Controversy
Critics praised it highly, and it secured the 2008 Royal Television Society Award for Best Single Drama. The biographical film, which cast Jason Isaacs as Corbett and Phil Davis as his Steptoe and Son co-star Wilfrid Brambell, concentrated substantially on a purportedly difficult relationship between the performers.
However, despite its achievements, the BBC was compelled to re-edit the film before withdrawing it from broadcast and recalling the DVD release, following multiple complaints. The production attracted criticism even before transmission, with Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, who created Steptoe and Son, publicly distancing themselves from the drama.
Writing to The Times, they declared: 'During this entire [12 year] period we were unaware of any conflict between the actors...' During a radio interview on 15 January 2009, Simpson emphasised the drama was 'not at all accurate', while Galton maintained: 'We didn't recognise any of that. Really didn't.' Both writers dismissed suggestions of animosity or resentment between Corbett and Brambell as false, noting, 'They worked beautifully together.'
Family Complaints and BBC Response
Members of Corbett's family also strongly condemned the programme. A particular point of dispute concerned its harmful depiction of Corbett's second wife, Maureen. Despite her death aged 56 on 4 November 1999, her brother challenged the film's multiple factual errors on her behalf.
In 2008, the BBC's editorial complaints unit partially upheld the complaint, ruling it was inappropriate to merge two separate periods of Corbett's life which occurred eight years apart, and confirming the programme would not be broadcast again 'without appropriate editing'. A revised edition was transmitted on 28 and 29 December 2008, running 23 seconds shorter than the initial version.
The amended broadcast included an on-screen disclaimer stating: 'The following drama is inspired by the lives of real people. For the purpose of the narrative some events have been invented or conflated.' Nevertheless, an inquiry by the BBC Trust determined that the drama remained unfair and inaccurate. This resulted in additional re-editing prior to transmission on 2 December 2009 on BBC HD, which ran 69 seconds shorter than the initial version. This is the edition which appeared on a BBC DVD released on 14 June 2010.
Final Ruling and Aftermath
Yet Corbett's brother-in-law initiated a subsequent appeal which was upheld by the BBC Trust Editorial Standards Committee. The judgement declared that the amended depiction in The Curse of Steptoe was still 'unfair and inaccurate', and, 'despite the edits made, further action was required by the BBC to remove the impression of a casual relationship between Maureen and Harry'.
At this juncture, the Trust mandated DVDs of the drama should be withdrawn. The Committee stated it 'wished to apologise on behalf of the BBC for the original editorial breaches in The Curse of Steptoe and the fact that subsequent remedial action had been ineffective in removing the unfairness'.
The episode left an enduring impact, prompting the BBC to introduce fresh guidelines on the 'Portrayal of Real People in Drama', which were published on 12 October 2010. The updated policy now reads: 'Where the drama goes against the wishes of the individual portrayed or their surviving near relatives, approval must be sought from the BBC's Director of Editorial Policy and Standards, and will be given only if three criteria are met: (1) the portrayal is fair; (2) the portrayal is based on a substantial and well-sourced body of evidence whenever practicable; and (3) there is a clear public interest.'
