10 Most Controversial British TV Films

Before Cathy Come Home, Ken Loach's docudrama blend focused on the more controversial subject of illegal abortions for his first television play.

Following the lives of three working class women, and to a lesser extent their partners, Up the Junction's Rube, Sylvie, and Eileen each encounter different challenges associated with their statuses; Rube becomes present and seeks a back-street abortion, which is botched; Sylvie enters into a troubled relationship; and Eileen's partner must contend with his criminal past.

Director Ken Loach fused documentary filmmaking with the fiction to heighten the authenticity of the social, kitchen-sink realism. This was a major source of controversy, as well as the subject matter, as audiences were simply used to the technique, especially on television. Loach, however, persisted in using the technique, as noted earlier with regards to Cathy Come Home.

Given the outcry from some quarters following the play's first broadcast, the BBC rejected the proposal to repeat the programme. Regardless, the play contributed to the discussion around the Abortion Act 1967. It remains an important and challenging piece of broadcast history.