The Banned 'Highwire' Video: Gulf War Footage and VH1's Uncut Airing

The BBC banned the 1991 video for The Rolling Stones’ Highwire because it included unedited news footage from the Gulf War — specifically, American bombs falling on Baghdad, Iraqi missile launchers firing, burning oil wells, and the charred wreckage of tanks. The network deemed the imagery too graphic and politically sensitive for daytime broadcast, especially given the war was still ongoing at the time of the single’s release.

MTV initially also refused to air the uncut clip, offering only a