The memorable lines, “You scumbag, you maggot/ You cheap lousy faggot” from the Pogues' “Fairy Tale of New York” will no longer, in their entirety, be a part of the yuletide tradition, at least for listeners of the BBC’s Radio 1. In a statement, the BBC said, “Radio 1 are playing an edited version of the 'Fairytale of New York' that does not include the world 'faggot,' as this is a word that members of our audience would find offensive." And so, the nasty word is now being faded down rather than bleeped from the twenty-year-old song.

The mother of the late Kirsty MacColl, the singer of the controversial lyric, finds the action “too ridiculous.” A spokesperson for the Pogues, who believes the song “now goes with Christmas like the Queen's speech and mince pie,” said of Radio 1’s decision, "It strikes me as very odd and I'm sure the band will be very amused."

 [Reuters]