BBC Explains Torchwood Cuts

Apart from longer trailers, the first two episodes of Torchwood: Miracle Day have been identical to the ones shown in the US.

But that won’t be the case for the third episode. The BBC has confirmed that Dead of Night will be edited when it is airs next Thursday on BBC1.

In response to complaints about the cuts, the BBC issued the following:

“We’ve received complaints from some viewers unhappy with reports that we have edited out a sex scene from the UK version of Torchwood: Miracle Day.”

“It is not unusual for co-productions to have slightly different versions of a show to reflect its different audiences. For episode three of Torchwood, as part of the usual discussions between broadcasters and the production company, small potential edits in two intercutting scenes of gay and straight sex were discussed and made by production.

“This minimal edit makes little difference to the episode to be broadcast in the UK. Both scenes remain but run a few seconds shorter than the US version. In a later episode a sequence of gay sex is important to the story and therefore both the US and UK will show the same version.

“Torchwood continues to be a series that will ask important questions of how we all live in today’s society and the drama reflects life as we recognise it. The BBC and Starz have both been huge supporters of the writers’ vision for the series.”

The unedited Dead of Night premieres tonight at 10pm on Starz.