Complaint
The brother of Harry H Corbett's deceased second wife Maureen, complained of numerous specific inaccuracies and a false overall impression, with elements of unfairness to Corbett himself, his second wife and Wilfrid Brambell.
Outcome
In most instances, the ECU found that the departures from ascertainable fact were legitimate exercises of dramatic licence in the context of a drama featuring living or well-remembered people. However, the drama gave the impression that Maureen's relationship with Corbett preceded, and might have contributed to, the breakdown of his marriage with Sheila Steafel, whereas the chronology established by the ECU did not support this. The drama also gave the impression that the end of Steptoe and Son was immediately preceded, if not precipitated, by the birth of Corbett's first child. This was a dramatic device which had the legitimate intention of illustrating the change in Corbett's attitudes and priorities brought about by family life. However, the two events were separated by eight years, so the device tended to mislead viewers significantly on an aspect of the narrative central to their interest in the drama. The complaint was upheld on these two points.
Further action
The BBC will not re-broadcast the programme without appropriate editing and content information.
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