Cancelled Classic Episodes & Trade Unions

This little bit from the BBC Website is interesting. As a fan of all three programmes (esp Doctor Who and Secret Army), I had heard about the cancelled episodes, but not that there may have been additional reasons than strike action. With Doctor Who it was the BBC Execs leaving a line in the sand to the Unions, effectively telling them that their actions had consequences. With Secret Army, it was that the last episode (set twenty-five years later looking back at the War), would have offended many War Veterans (which inc many BBC Execs), as it implied that communism was a deadlier threat than fascism. With regards to The Professionals, well that is a story in itself, although I do think LWT completely overreacted. Politics and political instability was part of the major plot themes in The professionals surely!

That said there is a silver lining here. As much as it is annoying that the Doctor Who story "Shada" was cancelled with only 2/3rd of it filmed, it did mean that Tom Baker did appear in the twentieth anniversary special, given his refusal to appear in it, even if it was for only about 2 mins!