Mary Whitehouse

Mary Whitehouse

Constance Mary Whitehouse, CBE (born Constance Mary Hutcheson, 13 June 1910 – 23 November 2001) was an English social activist known for her opposition to social liberalism and the mainstream British media, both of which she accused of encouraging a more permissive society. She was the founder and first president of the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association, through which she led a long standing campaign against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). A staunch social conservative, the motivation for her activities derived from her traditional Christian beliefs and her work as a teacher of sex education.

Born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, Whitehouse became an art teacher, at the same time becoming involved in evangelical Christian groups such as the Student Christian Movement and Moral Re-Armament. She became a public figure via the 'Clean-Up TV' pressure group, established in 1964, in which she was the most prominent figure. The following year she founded the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association, using it as a platform to criticise the BBC for what she perceived as a lack of accountability, and excessive portrayals of sex, violence and bad language. As a result, she became an object of mockery in the media, especially by the BBC.

During the 1970s she broadened her activities, and was a leading figure in the Nationwide Festival of Light, a Christian campaign which gained mass support for a period; she initiated private prosecutions against Gay News and the director of the play The Romans in Britain, which had been performed at the National Theatre. Her campaign against the former was based on a perception of its blasphemous content.

The campaigns of Mary Whitehouse continue to divide opinion. Her critics have accused her of being a highly censorious figure and homophobic. Others see her more positively. According to Ben Thompson, the editor of an anthology of Whitehouse related letters, in 2012: "From Mumsnet to ... feminist anti-pornography campaigns the executive naming and shaming strategies of UK Uncut, her ideological and tactical influence has been discernible in all sorts of unexpected places in recent years."