Was it simply too good?
Nickdc: No. (and there's more: I know who really killed Princess Di. ditto JFK *)
There is a reason why, these 42 years, no TV prog has "exposed" the truth: it's because there is nothing to expose. The nuclear deep penetrator/Moscow role, grafted on in 1960, was taken by Macmillan's Polaris, confirmed by Wilson. A scarce tactical asset the length of Vulcan became unriskable against the low-value precision targets, like one tank, that its hot, frail sensors sought: RAF could deal with them cheaper with F-4D, so Wilson offered to buy 50 TSR.2 for an East of Suez Task. Geo.Edwards/BAC wouldn't play ball on money - he could just have taken the £750Mn. on offer and later blamed, say Ferranti (10% of total R&D cost) after the User was hooked (see Astute, Nimrod MRA4) - so CAS was able to do the sensible thing: buy a fixed price batch from a planned US run >3,000.
Sources:B.Jackson/Lord Bramall, MC, ex-CGS/CDS, The Chiefs,Brassey’s,92,P361:1964 Tory Minister Thorneycroft TSR.2 “an albatross round our necks (Healey) took the decision which would have had to be taken by (PT. MoD was saying TSR.2) would have (to go) it was just that (Labour) took the opprobrium.” Maj.D.Healey(Anzio beachmaster),The Time of My Life,Penguin,1990, P272: Post-681/1154 Sir R.Dobson,Chairman of HSAL “which lost work by our decision, gave a TV interview which put all the blame on the Conservative “twerps”:‘(in) light of what has happened before (it) is very difficult to quarrel with Jenkins and Healey’”.
Conspiracies and smears, as rehashed here, like all drama require suspension of disbelief. The only Tory Minister to go public on fellow-travelling was gadfly Sir Cranley Onslow, to be ’72/4 Trade Minister (Aerospace), who blamed the influence of CND unilateralists. The only reputable historian to do so is Maj.Gordon Corrigan (5 TV), Blood,Sweat and Arrogance,Weidenfeld,2006, who with no attribution refers to Jim Callaghan's (Chancellor in April,1965) "KGB liaison". Ah, yes,Wilson, he that inherited a Yellow Sun 2 Force where “loss of 70-90% (was) conceded” by Planners" A.Pierre,Nuclear Politics,OUP,1972,P184, who bequeathed SSBNs, laydown WE177A/B, and funding that led to their highly credible delivery by RAFG. Ah, yes, Lt.Callaghan, who secured Trident C4 (Mrs.T made it D5).
Neither Wilson, Healey, nor the Kremlin, was responsible for the move from P.1154/TSR.2, via F-111K, to Harrier GR.1/F-4M/Buccaneer S.2/Jaguar/Tornado. That was CAS Sir Charles (to be CDS, MRAF, Lord) Elworthy DSO (1941 W/C, low level Blenheim). Nor was it wrecker Capt.D.Sandys, WIA 1941 that deleted much in April,1957, but CDS MRAF Sir W.Dickson, DSO,AFC. There were very good reasons for all of it, which is why they did not resign.
There is a techno-story for TV, such as by The Discovery Channel, tracing avionics and pivots from first sketches, 1956, to deployment of Tornado, 1982. But too good? No. Go to T.Buttler's Secret Projects, Bombers, MCP,2003, P124 and see the schemes to the TSR.2 replacement Requirement, OR.355 put out in October,1961 for Service c.1975.
(*: the driver and the crazy. Sorry Oliver Stone. The truth is boring).