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    The Lesbian Kiss In "Doctor Who" Was Not Shown When Broadcast In Asia

    A spokesperson for the BBC told BuzzFeed that the “brief edit” was made to comply with “broadcast regulations in Asia". Update: The broadcasting code the BBC has to abide by says that homosexual subplots are only suitable for over-18s.

    In the first episode of the new Doctor Who series, Jenny Flint (Catrin Stewart) was forced to hold her breath to protect herself from being killed by robots.

    vine.co / Doctor Who / BBC Wales

    Her wife, Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh), a reptilian alien, had to hold her breath too, but offered to share her breath with Jenny to keep her alive.

    So naturally this was followed by a close-up kiss.

    The kiss was well received by UK fans.

    OHHH MY GOD OH MY GOD VASTRA AND JENNY KISSED OHHHH MY GOD YESSSSS <3

    MADAME VASTRA AND JENNY KISSED ABOUT DAMN TIME

    However, BBC Entertainment, which broadcasts Doctor Who in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, and South Korea, cut the kiss from the broadcast.

    BBC Worldwide owns the BBC Entertainment channel.

    So what specific regulation does the kiss break? The Singapore MDA lists the following rules for its free-to-air broadcasts.

    If BBC Entertainment has a subscription licence, it would have to follow this regulation.

    Update — 1 September 7.45pm BST: BBC Worldwide had to comply with subscription licence MDA regulations, so that Doctor Who did not breach the code.

    The rules state that "homosexual themes" can be allowed for audiences over 18 years of age (listed in their regulations as M18). As Doctor Who is a family show and is not directly aimed at an adult audience, the scene could not be shown.