A bawdy song was bowdlerized and my father chortled

Back in the days before television (my parents bought our first one in about 1960 when I was aged 16 one channel only, the BBC!) ) much of our life centred around the wireless. In  those days there was no commercial radio, but we were blessed with the utterly fabulous BBC radio.

On Friday evening Mum, Dad and the older members of our family would gather around to listen to the BBC Light Programme  for a live broadcast called "Friday Night Is Music Night".

I am both surprised and delighted to discover that "Friday Night Is Music Night" yet survives, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_Night_is_Music_Night

One Friday night the male vocalist began to sing "Oh dear, what can the matter be?" - a naughty version of the song "Johnny's so long at the Fair".

What?  Was the prim and proper BBC about to broadcast a bawdy song? - "Three (or seven) old ladies stuck in the Lavatory"  (see text below)

Fear not.  The text was a bowdlerized version - suitable for tender ears - about three (or seven) old ladies who were "nattering happily"

 What I remember most is that my Dad chortled with glee when he realised that we were about to hear a sanitized version of the naughty song. It was not that he was a prude.  It was that he was amused at the BBC's re-write.

I can still hear Dad's chortle, for which I am grateful,

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The naughty words (there are many variants)

http://www.darachweb.net/SongLyrics/SevenOldLadies.html


A rendition of the naughty words.
http://www.wtv-zone.com/phyrst/audio/nfld/06/seven3.htm

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The lavatory was of course a public convenience,






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