BBC tried to take George Orwell off air because of 'unattractive' voice

The BBC tried to take the author George Orwell off air because his voice was "unattractive", according to archive documents released by the corporation.

Orwell, whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair, was employed by the BBC to work in its Eastern Service during the Second World War to supervise cultural broadcasts to India countering Nazi German propaganda.

However during one transmission, a senior executive was struck by the "unsuitability" and "unattractiveness" of Orwell's voice.