LOSE YOURSELF IN 1965

CHRISTMAS ALIEN ATTACK

Residents in Barwell, Leicestershire, received an unwelcome gift from above on Christmas Eve when meteor fragments hit the southern part of the village. While the fl aming lump of 4.5 billion-year-old space rock was only the size of – appropriately enough, given its timing – a turkey, the hundreds of shards caused damage across Barwell and neighbouring Earl Shilton. The accompanying sonic boom didn’t do a lot of good for windows or people’s ears either.

One chunk destroyed the front of a car and when its unfortunate owner was told by his insurance company that it was an act of God, he approached the local church for recompense instead. That didn’t work either. It was one of the largest meteorite falls in the UK ever, and residents were asked to hand any pieces in at the local police station so they could be studied by scientists at Leicester University.

THE SHOCK OF WAR

The scheduled episode of BBC1’s The Wednesday Play to be cancelled at short notice on 7 October. The reason for this, according to the Beeb, was that ‘the effect of the film has been judged by the BBC to be too horrifying for the medium of broadcasting’, a concern shared by the government.

The drama documentary in question was The War Game, , directed and produced by Peter Watkins. It chronicled the lead-up to a nuclear confl ict, and its terrible effects on Kent. Even today, it’s a shockingly realistic and chilling piece of fi lm depicting the breakdown of British society. Despite its lack of UK exposure, it was shown widely elsewhere and even won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 1966.

The BBC finally relented and showed it in 1985. It’s currently available on iPlayer, but be warned – it’s disturbing viewing.