The BBC has been accused of censoring Doctor Who after cutting a lesbian kiss from the new series when it was seen in Asia.
The kiss, between a lizard woman and her human wife, in Peter Capaldi’s first full episode as the time lord, caused a stir in Britain.
A handful of viewers complained to Ofcom that it was offensive.
The broadcasting regulator promptly dismissed the complaints, but the BBC cut the footage from the episode seen by viewers in Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
BBC Worldwide said yesterday that it was following strict broadcasting rules in the region and that the cut had been made “without detracting from the storyline”.
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The South China Morning Post said that fans of the show and gay rights campaigners in Asia were dismayed by the editing, calling it an “obvious case of censorship”.