英语文化：25件你不知道的BBC的那些事儿
摘要：BBC电台的哔哔声是格林尼治报时信号。每小时的最开始会响起此声，这样人们可以调对手表。
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在愚人节那天在电视上播放了一家人从意大利面树收获意大利面的画面。观众打进电话询问如何种植意大利面树，BBC告诉他们将一小根意大利面条种在番茄酱罐子里，然后祈祷。
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年愚人节的时候，BBC报道称几个星球将短暂地排成一行从而改变地球上的重力，很多听众相信了。自认为感受到该效应的听众电话蜂拥而至。
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. 愤怒对抗体制乐队被要求在BBC现场演奏时删改Killing In The Name中不适合的歌词。他们唱的第一句就被删掉了：“操妈的，你的话我偏不做!”
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开始播放的时候宣布“今天没有新闻”，然后播放了钢琴曲。
5. The BBC offers free online language courses.
5. BBC提供网上免费语言课程。
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现在拥有这个极具象征意义的电话亭的产权。
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，停靠在国际海域的海盗电台向千万英国听众播放流行和摇滚音乐。BBC那时只播放经典音乐，不过因此被迫改版来迎合这些类别的需求。
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禁止在工作时间播放“Deep in the Heart of Texas”，理由是“这首歌动感的曲调可能会让战时的工人忘记手中的工具和着音乐拍起手来。”
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员工在60和70年代期间曾公开在公司总部抽大麻，Play School的表演者甚至在上台时还是嗨的。
注：Play School是英国一档儿童电视栏目。
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. 有一百多集神秘博士的录影带在播出后被BBC覆盖录制了其他东西，所以可能永久丢失了，除非有人录在了VHS上，但那时VHS还很罕见。
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·派森系列的录影带录制其他东西。Terry Jones临危前一秒以向BBC买断的方式抢救到了录像带，并藏在了自己的阁楼里。
注：Terry Jones是蒙提·派森这个超现实幽默剧的成员之一。
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， 没问题先生(The Yes Men)的一位成员谎称自己代表陶氏化学接受BBC的采访，声称陶氏同意了1984年印度博帕尔化学事件受害者的120亿抚慰金。Dow在随后的股票抛售中损失20亿美元。
注：The Yes Men是一个以恶搞政府组织和大型企业起家的团体。他们的用意是要曝光政府和大企业不负责任的行为，以恶作剧的方式引起大众的注意力。他们拍了三部电影，分别是The Yes Men, The Yes Men Fix The World, The Yes Men Are Revolting, 记录了他们的所作所为和一些成就，电影不凡幽默和讥讽。
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. 性手枪的“天佑女王”一歌，在英国女王即位25周年之际发布，BBC认为争议太大而将该曲在流行音乐榜首的位置隐去不谈。
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为拍摄老虎在野外捕食的画面，不用人工摄像组，而是将摄像机按在了一队大象的身上，并训练他们使用摄影设备。
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. 因为美国肯尼迪总统被刺一事铺天盖地的报道，BBC认为很多人肯定错过了神秘博士有史以来的第一集。因此，BBC在一周后重播了一次。
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错误地采访了一位他们以为是IT杂志编辑的人，而实际上那人只是到那儿求职的。
17. Despite working for the BBC as a broadcaster and dying in 1950, there are no known recordings of George Orwell’s voice.
17. 虽然乔治·奥威尔曾为BBC做过新闻主播，在1950年去世，但是并没有留下他的任何录音。
注：乔治·奥威尔是英国著名作家，著有《动物庄园》《1984》等讽刺现实的小说，因小说中的语言在后50年不断被印证而在西方国家具有广泛的影响。
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曾在电视上现场展示电邮的使用方法。在播出之前，录音棚的嘉宾偷听到工作人员说邮箱密码，他便打电话给一位不坏恶意的黑客。节目播出后，主播登录邮箱，结果看到一首关于黑客技术和密码不安全的打油诗。
19. Britons have to pay $230 for a “television license” every year as a tax to support the BBC.
19. 英国人每年必须为“电视许可”支付$230的税费以此支持BBC。
20. The BBC News channel has a show dedicated to viewers criticizing how well they have reported the week’s events.
20. BBC新闻频道专门有一档节目，为观众提供批评指正BBC报道的机会。
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. 神秘博士的外星人Dalex的声音是由一个特制的环形调控器才录制成功的，因为BBC当时还无法用数字技术做出该效果。
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. 英国核潜艇在连续几天无法收听到BBC广播四台的《今日》节目后可被允许发射核导弹。
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间的作品已大多流失，因为当时缺乏归档制度。
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. 从三十年代到冷战结束，MI5都派一个人到BBC工作以便监管他们不聘任任何共产党。
注：MI5是英国的情报机构。(这个地球人都知道吧)
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电台的哔哔声是格林尼治报时信号。每小时的最开始会响起此声，这样人们可以调对手表。