The Theatres Act 1968 abolished censorship of the stage in the United Kingdom. For other uses, see Censor. ...

Since 1737, scripts had been licensed for performance by the Lord Chamberlain's Office (under the Theatres Act 1843, a continuation of the Licensing Act 1737) a measure initially introduced to protect Walpole's administration from political satire. By the late 19th century the Lord Chamberlain's Office had become the arbiter of moral taste on the stage, and the "Angry Young Men" of the 1950s are in some ways a reaction against the banality of the morally conservative and formally restricted period of theatre that had preceded them. Key figures in the passing of the Theatres Act were John Osborne and Kenneth Tynan, both of whom gave evidence extensively to the House of Lords on the issue. Tynan, also the first man to say "Fuck" on British television, had been campaigning for liberalisation for many years, while Osborne's radical play A Patriot for Me, brutally cut by the censor and put on at a private members' club, exposed the untenable nature of the system. Events 12 February — The San Carlo, the oldest working opera house in Europe, is inaugurated. ... The Lord Chamberlains Office is a department within the British Royal Household. ... The Theatres Act 1843 (6 & 7 Vict. ... The Licensing Act or Theatrical Licensing Act of 1737 (citation ) was a landmark act of censorship of the British stage and one of the most determining factors in the development of Augustan drama. ... Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, (commonly known as Robert Walpole, or Sir Robert Walpole) KG, KB, PC (26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745) was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain. ... Political satire is a subgenre of general satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics, politicians and public affairs. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Angry Young Men (or Angries for short) is a journalistic catchphrase applied to a number of British playwrights and novelists from the mid-1950s. ... The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ... Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ... John James Osborne (December 12, 1929 – December 24, 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter, and critic of the Establishment. ... Kenneth Peacock Tynan (April 2, 1927 - July 26, 1980), was an influential and often controversial British theatre critic and writer. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... ÃA Patriot For Me is a play by John Osborne based on the true story of Alfred Redl. ...

External links

• Official text of the statute as amended and in force today within the United Kingdom, from the UK Statute Law Database