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This year an edited version of the Christmas classic Fairytale Of New York will be played on BBC Radio 1 to avoid offending younger listeners.
The holiday hit of The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl is a staple of the season, but in recent years it has been at the center of the debate over its lyrics.
The popular song uses derogatory terms for gender and sexuality, with the PA news agency reporting that BBC bosses are understood to be concerned about how younger listeners will react.
Kirsty MacColl performing with The Pogues in 1988
The altered version of the track that will play on Radio 1 this year will feature different lyrics sung by MacColl, but the original will still be played on Radio 2, which generally has a larger audience.
However, the station says it will monitor listeners’ opinions.
Meanwhile, Radio 6 Music will have both incarnations in its library so hosts and / or producers can choose between them with discretion.
The BBC said: “We know the song is considered a Christmas classic and we will continue to play it this year, with our radio stations choosing the version of the song most relevant to their audience.”
But the decision drew criticism on social media, and the corporation came under fire from celebrities and political commentators alike.
Actor Laurence fox, who recently launched his own political party to “fight the culture wars,” he accused the BBC of choosing what is and is not appropriate for the “ignorant little years” of listeners in a Twitter post.
Guardian columnist Owen Jones tweeted that, as a gay person, he is not “bothered” by the use of the word “f *****” on the track, adding: “It’s an epic song.”
Ruth Jones from Gavin and Stacey defended her character by singing the song in last year’s Christmas episode.
Last year, the BBC defended playing the unedited version of the 1987 song on the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special, where the characters Nessa Jenkins and Uncle Bryn sang it at full volume.
The show’s co-creator, Ruth Jones, who plays Nessa, also defended the use of the song for The Sun.
He said writers have to “stay true to the characters”, that they may lack “political correctness.”
Jones, however, acknowledged that “it is a different climate.”
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