Homophobia row as BBC cuts Doctor Who lesbian kiss scene with lizard woman to avoid offending Asian audience

The BBC cut a controversial lesbian kiss scene from Doctor Who to avoid offending audiences when it was screened in Asia.

Ten million British viewers have now seen the erotically charged encounter between lizard woman Madame Vastra and her human wife Jenny Flint since it was first shown on BBC1 last Saturday.

But Corporation chiefs insisted on cutting the scene from the episode, called Deep Breath, when it was broadcast across Asia the next day.

The lesbian kiss in Doctor Who that sparked homophobia row

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The kiss: The pair appear to kiss passionately - in fact Madame Vastra (left) is helping Jenny (right) to hold her breath by drawing on the excess oxygen Vastra can keep in her lungs

The decision to remove the first lesbian encounter in the show’s 51-year history has angered gay rights campaigners, who accused executives of giving into homophobia. 

Campaigner Peter Tatchell said: ‘The BBC should not bow to censorship demands from other countries. 

'If these countries are bigoted and are not willing to show same-sex love, they have no right to demand that the BBC conforms to their standards of prejudice.’

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Controversy: Madame Vastra (above - played by Neve McIntosh), shared a lesbian kiss with her wife in the episode but it was later cut for Asian audiences