One of the most famous examples of this BBC phenomena was Fablon.
 |
| How times change... |
To the best of my knowledge Fablon was the only brand of self-adhesive, decorative, flexible plastic available in the country. It was used to bring a splash of colour and 1950s designer style to the dull brown of just about everything in post-war Britain. Contrary to common belief, in those days the world was not black and white, but mainly dull brown and even duller green. Fablon could turn a sheet of boring cardboard into poor man's Formica - but lacking the rigidity and heat resistant characteristics of this laminated, resin impregnated, melamine coated wonder material.
Blue Peter was a BBC TV programme watched by the majority of UK children before video recorders, computer games and the Internet. In these halcyon, pre-digital days, they celebrated making things from household packaging - and they loved Fablon. Many of their models were covered in the stuff.
 |
| A Dormitory... the must-have item for 1971 |
BBC policy required that any brand names were covered with tape and never, ever spoken. So Fablon was always referred to as 'sticky-back plastic'...
...but we knew ;-)
And now the tail wags the dog and Fablon have incorporated the phrase in their corporate identity:
 |
| http://www.fablonstickybackplastic.co.uk/ |
Meanwhile, back at the beeb, cardboard was a favourite Blue Peter construction material. It often came from a corn flakes packet but, unlike Fablon, there were many brands to choose from and I guess we will never know which one they favoured...
 |
| AnonyFlakes |
Another favourite was a plastic cylinder, ideal for models of grain silos, intercontinental ballistic missiles and errr... cylinders, all made from some unidentified washing up liquid bottle:
 |
| Mild, green and liquid but what might it be? |
The cardboard and plastic was usually joined using 'sticky tape'.
 |
| Some form of laminar adhesive |
Once again we were unable to shop for this by brand, consequently many models fell apart due to the use of inferior products.
This continued through the 1970s but had started dying out in the 1980s. It was a self-conscious conceit and I doubt anyone was sad to see its decline.
Unfortunately, the tedious notion of not advertising particular brands it is making a comeback in a new form. When a brand is mentioned on air, too many broadcasters have taken to 'humorously' adding "...other [insert generic label here] are available".
I recently heard someone on a panel discussion relating an issue to Marmite. The Marmite reference concerns its slogan Love It or Hate It. The presenter then said that "other, errr... products were available" - no shit, Sherlock. There is no other product that uses this slogan in its advertising, making the interjection completely pointless. But the desire to pretend that brands are banned on the beeb was too strong for the weak minded goof to resist. The only advertising slogan that has become more ubiquitous than Marmite's is 'does what it says on the tin'. Of course this has the advantage that very few people instantly associate it with a brand - much the same is true of the product promoted with the lyric 'they're tasty tasty, very very tasty'. So really the best thing to do is resist this meme altogether.
In the interests of listener sanity, here are some things for the aforementioned broadcasters to consider when thinking of using this phrase...
It is not illegal to mention brand names on the BBC.
Impartiality does not require a disclaimer.
It is not funny, original, clever or entertaining.
It is banal, dull, clichéd, unimaginative and boring.
Just Stop It.
Now.
Please...
DISAMBIGUATION
The name of the TV show Blue Peter has nothing to do with arctic explorers' frozen extremities. It is named for a naval signalling flag:
Depending on context, it means:
Get yo ass back on board before we gone
the letter P (also known to parents of young children as a number one)
the number 2 (which is a Poo not a P)
What a world of wordly wonder...
