possel,
BOAC/BEA were not "quite disgraceful in their actions" in their choice of aircraft types, they simply didn't want the totally uneconomic British types, which makes sense as they had a commitment to turn a profit. They had to be either subsidised or compensated by the Government to buy Super VC10's, Tridents and BAC111's when they would have preferred to have bought Boeing 707's, 727 and 737's.
The VC10 was a delightful looking aircraft but was an economic disaster built for a requirement that didn't exist.