BBC Cuts Gay Sex Scene Featuring John Barrowman From Upcoming Torchwood Episode

British viewers of Torchwood will not see one of the most sexually explicit scenes ever filmed for a television drama, the BBC believing the scene too explicit, according to The Sun. Bisexual Captain Jack Harkness, played by openly gay John Barrowman has an encounter with a barman. The scene - which includes shots of Jack's naked rear - was filmed for the third episode of the sci-fi hit and would have aired just 20 minutes after the 9:00 pm watershed. It has already been shown on US cable channel Starz, which co-funded the drama. But shocked BBC executives have cut it from the BBC1 version, fearing a raft of complaints from viewers. A veteran television insider described it as one of the most sexually explicit TV sex scenes they had seen - and said they were "staggered" it could air in a drama that has so many young fans. The source said that "It wasn't that it was a gay scene that worried people, but just the fact it was such an explicit sex scene, full stop. You can get away with scenes like that on American cable channels, but you can't on primetime BBC1. Even though the show airs after the watershed, it has a lot of young fans who would have been shocked at the graphic nature of the sex." Last night, the BBC confirmed the scene had been cut, along with a gruesome scene later in the series. A spokesperson said that "The United Kingdom and United States versions of Torchwood are slightly different. However these differences do not change the story in any way and the strong storylines are first and foremost to the series." The source told The Sun that "Cutting these scenes doesn't affect the story and they are very minimal changes. It was decided to cut them as the BBC and Starz have very different audiences."