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Past Present Future

Politics on Trial: Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Past Present Future

D&HR Media Ltd

History, Politics, News, Society & Culture, Philosophy

4.7747 Ratings

🗓️ 7 December 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today we return to our series about epoch-making trials with the case of the book they tried and failed to ban. In 1960 Penguin Books was prosecuted at the Old Bailey under the new Obscene Publications Act (1959) over its plans to produce a cheap, unexpurgated edition of D. H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover. How did the prosecution try to persuade the jury that the book was a menace to public morals? Who were the expert witnesses called in its defence? What were the decisive arguments? And why was the judge’s summing-up such a mistake? Out tomorrow on PPF+: David discusses the book at the heart of the case. Was Lady Chatterley’s Lover really all about sex? Or was it all about class? Or was it in fact about something else entirely? To get this and all our bonus episodes plus ad-free listening sign up to PPF+ now https://www.ppfideas.com/join-ppf-plus If you are looking for Christmas presents we have 6- and 12-month gift subscriptions to PPF+ giving access to all our bonus episodes, ad-free listening and automatic sign-up to our fortnightly newsletter – which can be delivered to the recipient of your choice on Christmas Day! https://ppf.supportingcast.fm/gifts Plus we have gorgeous PPF canvas tote bags and bone china PPF mugs, all available now https://www.ppfideas.com/merch Next time in Politics on Trial: Eichmann in Jerusalem Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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1:01.5

Hello, my name's David Rumsman and this is past, present, future, the History of Ideas podcast.

1:08.3

Today, we are returning to our series Politics on Trial, with a trial that doesn't seem to be particularly political, but was hugely significant, socially,

1:12.4

culturally and politically. It marked a watershed. It's the trial that took place across six days

1:18.3

from October to November 1960 in the old Bailey in London. Penguin books were in the dock.

1:25.7

They wanted to publish D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover, a book that had been finished in 1928,

1:32.0

privately printed abroad, but never published in the UK because it was thought to be depraved,

1:40.0

corrupting, obscene.

...

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