Secretary of State to ensure ITV are reprimanded | Forum

Cursuswalker Oct 26, 2007 20:33:48

Having followed up the initial response I got from the Secretary of State, Margaret Hodge, my MP has forwarded another response after I asked if ITV will be informed that they should have asked for Scheduled Monument Consent for the filming on the Long Man. It is quite encouraging.

This is the substantive section of the response:

"Following my letter to you of 22 August, English Heritage wrote to (name) concerning the potential impact on the monument of the filming and associated activities. English Heritage also set out why it believes that there are insufficient grounds for a prosecution to take place under the terms of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. I enclose a copy of this letter for your information.

I understand that the production team involved in the making of the programme have already been informed that they should have obtained prior Scheduled Monument Consent. However, I agree that all concerned should be left in no doubt about their responsibilities in respect of our archaeological heritage. I have therefore asked English Heritage to write to ITV to help avoid a repetition of these events in the future.

Ensuring that the heritage protection system is accessible and inclusive, while providing an appropriate degree of protection to sites such as The Long Man of Wilmington and the Cerne Abbas Giant, is one of the core themes of the reform programme set out by Government earlier this year in Heritage Protection for the 21st Century. We are currently considering responses to this paper with the aim of publishing a draft Bill in the next session."

tjj Oct 26, 2007 21:51:09

Replying to Cursuswalker

That is very encouraging CW and there is no doubt your hard work has contributed to the outcome. I see the Trinny and Susannah programme is currently being trailed - I wouldn't normally watch such shite but will make an exception this time just so I can write to ITV to express my distress that they shuld broadcast something is such bad taste - in every sense of the word.

Best wishes
tjj

Littlestone Oct 27, 2007 15:45:00

Replying to Cursuswalker

Well done CW!

We can make a difference if we bang the drum loud enough. English Heritage and the National Trust do a lot of excellent work but that doesn't exclude them from being brought to book when they gets things wrong - and they got things wrong here, as did the National Trust when it allowed hunting with dogs on its land - a policy that lost the Trust a lot of sympathy and cost it a lot of subscriptions (mine among them).

tjj Oct 27, 2007 22:48:27

Replying to Cursuswalker

The Long Man of Wilmington made a very respectful appearence on tv this evening on the Culture Show. One of the presenters was doing a helicopter 'spot' and on the way back from the Goodwood Open Air Sclupture Show (on a very lovely late afternoon) flew over the Long Man. He gave a little bit of its history and speculated on what it originally had looked like and what the 'staffs' might have been. He ended by saying he liked to imagine the Long Man was opening the doors to the mysteries of the pagan world.

tjj