Real Lives

Real Lives began on 5 June 1984. Described in the Radio Times as "a new series of filmed documentaries about the way people live now", the first episode looked at the gang culture of LA. Over two acclaimed series it examined a variety of subjects including the Liverpool drug squad; homeless people living in hotels; transvestites; the aftermath of the Bhopal disaster; hairdressing competitions, and NASA's attempts to retrieve lost satellites. However the episode At the Edge of the Union generated a political storm which threatened the BBC's independence and was described at the time as the worst crisis in the Corporation's history.

At the Edge of the Union dealt with two people at the extremes of the Northern Irish political divide, Martin McGuinness and Gregory Campbell. Hearing of the programme, Home Secretary Leon Brittan wrote to the BBC Governors, urging them to withdraw it - as it gave 'the oxygen of publicity' to the IRA - which they did after viewing it. This was despite the opposition of BBC management. BBC and ITN journalists staged a one-day strike in protest at the Governors' response to government pressure. The amended film was eventually shown in October 1985.

However, longer term, it led to even more strained relations between the BBC and government, fundamentally changing the rapport between the two. It also precipitated the subsequent dismissal of Alasdair Milne, the then Director-General, in 1987. He was the first BBC Director-General ever to be dismissed.