BBC Radio 1 will not play the original version of Fairytale of New York during the Christmas period because its audience may be offended by some of the lyrics in the song.
The station said young listeners were particularly sensitive to derogatory terms for gender and sexuality.
A BBC spokesman said: "We know the song is considered a Christmas classic and we will continue to play it this year, with our radio stations choosing the version of the song most relevant for their audience."
The new Radio 1 version will include the line “you’re cheap and you’re haggard”, with the word “slut” sang earlier in the verse silenced. The rest of the song remains unchanged.
However, the 1987 original will still be played on Radio 2, while 6 Music DJs can choose between playing the two versions.
MacGowan defended the song in 2018, saying: “The word was used by the character because it fitted with the way she would speak and with her character. She is not supposed to be a nice person, or even a wholesome person. She is a woman of a certain generation at a certain time in history, and she is down on her luck and desperate.
"Her dialogue is as accurate as I could make it, but she is not intended to offend! She is just supposed to be an authentic character and not all characters in songs and stories are angels or even decent and respectable. Sometimes characters in songs and stories have to be evil or nasty in order to tell the story effectively."
Last year, the song was a topic of discussion after the BBC defended their decision to use the unedited version of the 1987 song in the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special.
Elsewhere, RTÉ DJ Eoghan McDermott also called on the state broadcaster to play an edited version of the song on the airwaves.
Speaking with the Irish Mirror, McDermott says he didn't leave his home for months after the vitriolic reaction to his statement.
He said: "It wasn't like anyone wanted to argue they just wanted to go, 'you're this, you're that', this guy spat at me on Harcourt Street. It went beyond the phone and into the real world. I didn't leave the house for three months. I got social anxiety."
The song has consistently attracted controversy throughout the decades. In 1987, the BBC opposed the word “arse” being aired on Top of the Pops, with MacColl singing “ass” in its place.
In a 1992 performance, MacColl sang “you’re cheap and you’re haggard”, while a 2000 cover version by Ronan Keating and Maire Brennan changed the line to “you’re mean and you’re haggard”.
In more recent years, in 2007, BBC Radio 1 edited the words "f----t" and "slut" from the track to "avoid offence".
At the time of this decision, MacColl's mother, Jean, called the ban "too ridiculous", while The Pogues said they found it "amusing".
The BBC explained their decision by saying: "We are playing an edited version because some members of the audience might find it offensive."
The duet continues to be one of the most beloved Christmas songs of all time, having returned to the UK top 20 singles charts every year since 2005.
