英語文化：25件你不知道的BBC的那些事兒
摘要：BBC電臺的嗶嗶聲是格林尼治報時信號。每小時的最開始會響起此聲，這樣人們可以調對手錶。
Spaghetti on trees BBC
1. In 1957, the BBC aired an April Fools segment showing a family harvesting spaghetti from the family spaghetti tree. When viewers asked how they could grow their own, they were told to place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.
1. 1957年，BBC在愚人節那天在電視上播放了一家人從意大利麪樹收穫意大利麪的畫面。觀衆打進電話詢問如何種植意大利麪樹，BBC告訴他們將一小根意大利麪條種在番茄醬罐子裏，然後祈禱。
2. On April Fool’s day in 1976, BBC convinced many listeners that a special alignment of the planets would temporarily decrease gravity on Earth. Phone lines were flooded with callers who claimed they felt the effects.
2. 1976年愚人節的時候，BBC報道稱幾個星球將短暫地排成一行從而改變地球上的重力，很多聽衆相信了。自認爲感受到該效應的聽衆電話蜂擁而至。
3. Rage Against the Machine were told to censor the lyrics of Killing In The Name while performing live on BBC. They started out censored before launching into the full lyrics: “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me!”
3. 憤怒對抗體制樂隊被要求在BBC現場演奏時刪改Killing In The Name中不適合的歌詞。他們唱的第一句就被刪掉了：“操媽的，你的話我偏不做!”
4. On one day in 1930, the BBC went on the air and announced “there is no news” and played piano music.
4. 1930年一天，BBC開始播放的時候宣佈“今天沒有新聞”，然後播放了鋼琴曲。
5. The BBC offers free online language courses.
5. BBC提供網上免費語言課程。
IMAGE SHOWS: THE TARDIS DOCTOR WHO SERIES 2 EMBARGO - THIS IMAGE CANNOT BE USED BEFORE BBC'S TRANSMISSION DATE WARNING
6. The BBC now owns the rights to the iconic police box.
6. BBC現在擁有這個極具象徵意義的電話亭的產權。
7. In the 1960’s, Pirate Radio boats in international waters broadcasted pop and rock to tens of millions of British listeners. The BBC, which until then mostly catered to classical tastes, was forced to restructure and meet the demand for these genres.
7. 1960年代，停靠在國際海域的海盜電臺向千萬英國聽衆播放流行和搖滾音樂。BBC那時只播放經典音樂，不過因此被迫改版來迎合這些類別的需求。
8. The song “Deep in the Heart of Texas” was banned by BBC “during working hours “on the grounds that its infectious melody might cause wartime factory-hands to neglect their tools while they clapped in time with the song.”
8. BBC禁止在工作時間播放“Deep in the Heart of Texas”，理由是“這首歌動感的曲調可能會讓戰時的工人忘記手中的工具和着音樂拍起手來。”
9. BBC staff openly smoked marijuana at the corporation’s headquarters during the 1960s and 70s and Play School presenters even went on-air stoned.
9. BBC員工在60和70年代期間曾公開在公司總部抽大麻，Play School的表演者甚至在上臺時還是嗨的。
注：Play School是英國一檔兒童電視欄目。
10. Over 100 Doctor Who episodes were “taped over” by the BBC after airing and are likely lost forever, unless recorded on VHS, which was a rarer technology at that time.
10. 有一百多集神祕博士的錄影帶在播出後被BBC覆蓋錄製了其他東西，所以可能永久丟失了，除非有人錄在了VHS上，但那時VHS還很罕見。
Monty Python
11. BBC was going to wipe the Monty Python series to re-use the tapes. Terry Jones, at the last minute, saved the tapes by buying them outright from the BBC and storing them in his attic.
11. BBC打算抹掉蒙提·派森系列的錄影帶錄製其他東西。Terry Jones臨危前一秒以向BBC買斷的方式搶救到了錄像帶，並藏在了自己的閣樓裏。
注：Terry Jones是蒙提·派森這個超現實幽默劇的成員之一。
12. In 2004, an activist from The Yes Men falsely claiming to represent Dow Chemicals was interviewed by BBC, claiming Dow had agreed to a $12 billion settlement for victims of the 1984 Bhopal, India chemical disaster (in which 3,000 people died). Dow lost $2 billion in the ensuing stock selloff.
12. 2004年， 沒問題先生(The Yes Men)的一位成員謊稱自己代表陶氏化學接受BBC的採訪，聲稱陶氏同意了1984年印度博帕爾化學事件受害者的120億撫慰金。Dow在隨後的股票拋售中損失20億美元。
注：The Yes Men是一個以惡搞政府組織和大型企業起家的團體。他們的用意是要曝光政府和大企業不負責任的行爲，以惡作劇的方式引起大衆的注意力。他們拍了三部電影，分別是The Yes Men, The Yes Men Fix The World, The Yes Men Are Revolting, 記錄了他們的所作所爲和一些成就，電影不凡幽默和譏諷。
13. The Sex Pistol’s “God Save the Queen”, released during her silver jubilee, was considered controversial by the BBC and its spot on the top hits charts was left as an empty space.
13. 性手槍的“天佑女王”一歌，在英國女王即位25週年之際發佈，BBC認爲爭議太大而將該曲在流行音樂榜首的位置隱去不談。
14. In order to capture footage of tigers hunting in the wild, instead of using a human camera crew, the BBC gave cameras to a team of elephants and trained them to operate the film equipment.
14. BBC爲拍攝老虎在野外捕食的畫面，不用人工攝像組，而是將攝像機按在了一隊大象的身上，並訓練他們使用攝影設備。
15. Due to widespread news coverage of the JFK assassination, the BBC figured a lot of people missed the airing of the first ever episode of Doctor Who. Consequently, they re-aired it one week later.
15. 因爲美國肯尼迪總統被刺一事鋪天蓋地的報道，BBC認爲很多人肯定錯過了神祕博士有史以來的第一集。因此，BBC在一週後重播了一次。
16. In 2006, the BBC mistakenly interviewed a guy live on TV thinking he was an IT magazine editor, but really he was just there to apply for a job.
16. 2006年，BBC錯誤地採訪了一位他們以爲是IT雜誌編輯的人，而實際上那人只是到那兒求職的。
17. Despite working for the BBC as a broadcaster and dying in 1950, there are no known recordings of George Orwell’s voice.
17. 雖然喬治·奧威爾曾爲BBC做過新聞主播，在1950年去世，但是並沒有留下他的任何錄音。
注：喬治·奧威爾是英國著名作家，著有《動物莊園》《1984》等諷刺現實的小說，因小說中的語言在後50年不斷被印證而在西方國傢俱有廣泛的影響。
18. In the 1980s, BBC televised a live demonstration of email. Prior to transmission, a studio guest overheard a crew member saying the email account password and phoned a friendly hacker. Once on air, the presenter logged in and was met with a poem about hacking and insecure passwords.
18. 1980年代，BBC曾在電視上現場展示電郵的使用方法。在播出之前，錄音棚的嘉賓偷聽到工作人員說郵箱密碼，他便打電話給一位不壞惡意的黑客。節目播出後，主播登錄郵箱，結果看到一首關於黑客技術和密碼不安全的打油詩。
19. Britons have to pay $230 for a “television license” every year as a tax to support the BBC.
19. 英國人每年必須爲“電視許可”支付$230的稅費以此支持BBC。
20. The BBC News channel has a show dedicated to viewers criticizing how well they have reported the week’s events.
20. BBC新聞頻道專門有一檔節目，爲觀衆提供批評指正BBC報道的機會。
21. The Dalek voice in Doctor Who (2005) is recorded through a custom analog ring modulator. BBC was unable to reproduce the original effect digitally.
21. 神祕博士的外星人Dalex的聲音是由一個特製的環形調控器才錄製成功的，因爲BBC當時還無法用數字技術做出該效果。
22. British nuclear submarines have orders to launch nuclear missiles if they cannot tune into BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ program for a number of consecutive days.
22. 英國核潛艇在連續幾天無法收聽到BBC廣播四臺的《今日》節目後可被允許發射核導彈。
23. Much of the BBC’s output between the 1930’s and 1980’s has been lost due to a lack of archival policy.
23. BBC在三十年代到八十年代之間的作品已大多流失，因爲當時缺乏歸檔制度。
24. From the 30s to the end of the Cold War, MI5 had an officer working at the BBC to ensure they wouldn’t hire communists.
24. 從三十年代到冷戰結束，MI5都派一個人到BBC工作以便監管他們不聘任任何共產黨。
注：MI5是英國的情報機構。(這個地球人都知道吧)
25. The beeps you hear on BBC radio is the Greenwich Time Signal. It beeps at the top of the hour so you could sync your watch.
25. BBC電臺的嗶嗶聲是格林尼治報時信號。每小時的最開始會響起此聲，這樣人們可以調對手錶。
