More anarchy in the UK as Pistols’ TV row is recreated
IT shocked millions of TV viewers and heralded the start of the punk era.
Now the Sex Pistols’ notorious expletiveridden 1976 interview on ITV’s early evening Today show has been recreated for a new series about the controversial band.
The group, led by singer Johnny Rotten, were splashed across newspaper front pages after the interview with presenter Bill Grundy descended into chaos.
Grundy appeared to provoke the band to become more outrageous as the chat progressed. He sparked fury when he said to punk singer Siouxsie Sioux, who was also present: ‘We’ll meet afterwards, shall we?’ Pistols guitarist Steve Jones said: ‘You dirty b ****** ! You dirty f ***** ! What a f ****** rotter!’ The interview led to hundreds of complaints. Today was later cancelled and Grundy was dropped from prime-time TV.
It came after the band released punk anthem Anarchy In The UK. The new series Pistol, made by Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle, is based on Jones’s memoirs and follows the group’s rise to fame. It features Anson Boon, 22, from hit war movie 2017, as Rotten and Australian actor Toby Wallace, 26, as Jones. The series will be available on Disney Plus from May 31. Meanwhile, the Sex Pistols are re-issuing their once-banned 1977 No2 hit God Save The Queen to mark the Platinum Jubilee.