Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T09:49:31.741Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

2 - Moral Vigilance

from Part II - The Heyday of Christian Vigilance 1945–1965

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2019

Callum G. Brown
Affiliation:
University of Glasgow
Get access

Summary

The Public Morality Council (PMC), formed in 1899 by the Anglican Bishop of London, was between 1945 and 1965 the most powerful moral vigilante organisation in Britain. This chapter provides the first detailed study of its modus operandi, exploring its ecumenical governance, the role of Christian and Jewish leaders in diverting morality complaints to it for investigation and the manner of its surveillance (both overt and covert) of theatre plays, variety shows, films, radio and television programmes. The chapter explains the influential function of its long-time secretary, Methodist preacher George Tomlinson, the most important vigilante in the nation. It shows how its operations peaked in the 1950s, and reveals its sense of high influence with, on the one hand, regulators (such as the Lord Chamberlain, the British Board of Film Censors, the Home Office and London County Council) and with on the other hand industry bodies (such as theatre owners, film makers, importers and distributors). Its day-to-day operations and the intensity of its power in London and with government agencies are described.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Battle for Christian Britain
Sex, Humanists and Secularisation, 1945–1980
, pp. 31 - 62
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • Moral Vigilance
  • Callum G. Brown, University of Glasgow
  • Book: The Battle for Christian Britain
  • Online publication: 28 September 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108367592.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Moral Vigilance
  • Callum G. Brown, University of Glasgow
  • Book: The Battle for Christian Britain
  • Online publication: 28 September 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108367592.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Moral Vigilance
  • Callum G. Brown, University of Glasgow
  • Book: The Battle for Christian Britain
  • Online publication: 28 September 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108367592.005
Available formats
×