BBC Radio Solent DJ Alex Dyke says "Fairytale of New York" is "downmarket chav bilge" and that he won't play it on his show
*Update: This poll is now closed, check out the results here!
What’s Christmas without another debate about ‘Fairytale of New York’ by the Pogues?
Read More: "Fairytale of New York" is not just a Christmas song, but also an immigrant ballad
BBC Radio Solent DJ Alex Dyke recently said that he will no longer be playing the Christmas song by the Pogues on his show and has called for an outright ban of the tune.
The Independent reports that Dyke said in a now-deleted tweet: “Radio, let’s ban ‘Fairytale of New York’ this Christmas!
“You’re a sl*t on junk, you scumbag, cheap lousy f****t’ – is this what we want our kids singing in the back of the car?
“It’s an offensive pile of downmarket chav bilge. We can do better!”
Later on his radio show, Dyke said that he would no longer be playing the song: “I hope I’m not going to ruin your Christmas, but I’ve decided that I am no longer comfortable with playing ‘Fairytale of New York’ by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl.”
“I think Christmas songs should be about excited children, toys, Christmas trees, snowy streets, ski lodges, reindeer, wrapping paper, Santa, family, peace on earth and love,” the DJ added. “I just find The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’ a nasty, nasty song.”
A BBC spokesperson said in a statement afterward: “This was Alex’s decision. There is no ban. We have a strict music policy that we expect to be followed.”
Read More: The making of Irish Christmas song "Fairytale of New York"
Of course, this isn’t the first time the song has come under fire. Last year, Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan was forced to issue a statement that read responding to backlash over the song’s inclusion of the word “faggot.”
MacGowan said: “The word was used by the character because it fitted with the way she would speak and with her character. She is not supposed to be a nice person, or even a wholesome person. She is a woman of a certain generation at a certain time in history and she is down on her luck and desperate.
“Her dialogue is as accurate as I could make it but she is not intended to offend!”
Shane McGowan gives us a statement with his reaction to the #FairytaleofNewYork censorship calls @VirginMedia_One #TonightVMT pic.twitter.com/LudzWjZK9l
— The Tonight Show (@TonightVMTV) December 6, 2018
IrishCentral asked our readers last year if the song should be censored; a staggering 93 percent of voters said that the song does not need to be censored.
Now we want to know - should ‘Fairytale of New York’ be banned outright? Let us know in our survey here:
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What's your favorite Christmas song? Let us know in the comments
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