BBC Cuts Doctor Who Beheading

[Parnage]

We need to understand the context here. Ever since the beheading of Nick Berg in 2004 the Western narrative is that beheadings are barbaric and awful and the Islamic religion is barbaric by extension - nevermind the millions killed by Westerners themselves, many in gruesome manner through white phosphorus and other chemicals, or simply blown to bits by bombs, as well as the millions that die each year due to easily preventable disease or starvation due to a global economic system controlled by the West.

So bombing a village and blowing apart 100 people is "civilized", while beheading one person is "barbaric". Note that the fictional depictions of BOMBS are never cut due to "recent events" despite the constant use of bombs compared to the fairly infrequent beheadings, while the Western media treats every beheading which kills ONE person as if it's the end of the world.

So fuck you, BBC. Fuck you. You pathetic goddamned hypocrite.

Not sure where you are from but where I'm from if you start removing heads to get people to agree with you and do as you tell them. Yeah you've earned the word barbaric and uncivilized because that shit is fucked up and the majority of the planet doesn't do that.

 

[ConanThe3rd]

Oh yes, that will put the doods' head right back on their shoulders.

A pointless and ultimately defeating gesture at best.

 

[Alluos]

Some kids get scared shitless by terror threats, can you imagine what a child's imagination would do with the news?
i don't see a problem with this at all, it's not nanny-state, it's just being sensitive to current events.

 

[ConanThe3rd]

The better question is what the hell was the Beep thinking putting a beheading on screen in the first instance. I mean most Dr Who deaths are being zapped by something with the optional and fun second part being blown up or rendered to dust with a few on screen horror deaths (Absorption by a darlek, being flung into a black hole, etc) and the rest deaths being strict camera off sight and screaming affairs

 

[Glaice]

People will never be desensitized to staged (and subsequently real) violence if TV companies keep doing this crap.

 

[Thyunda]

The better question is what the hell was the Beep thinking putting a beheading on screen in the first instance. I mean most Dr Who deaths are being zapped by something with the optional and fun second part being blown up or rendered to dust with a few on screen horror deaths (Absorption by a darlek, being flung into a black hole, etc) and the rest deaths being strict camera off sight and screaming affairs

I think the fat blue guy in the Demon's Run arc got beheaded...but otherwise, yeah - beheading is strangely out of place anyway.

I think this is mostly because it's a family show rooted in escapism, and that the beheaded may have relatives with younger children who might be watching the show to take their little minds off the fact people being beheaded is very modern and very real. The last thing anybody wants to see in that context is their family-friendly sci-fi dropping heads.

 

[ConanThe3rd]

The better question is what the hell was the Beep thinking putting a beheading on screen in the first instance. I mean most Dr Who deaths are being zapped by something with the optional and fun second part being blown up or rendered to dust with a few on screen horror deaths (Absorption by a darlek, being flung into a black hole, etc) and the rest deaths being strict camera off sight and screaming affairs

I think the fat blue guy in the Demon's Run arc got beheaded...but otherwise, yeah - beheading is strangely out of place anyway.

He did but to my defence that season (and the one after) was kinda godawful [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdN_PkOW-Yk].

 

[Kuala BangoDango]

So bombing a village and blowing apart 100 people is "civilized", while beheading one person is "barbaric". Note that the fictional depictions of BOMBS are never cut due to "recent events" despite the constant use of bombs compared to the fairly infrequent beheadings, while the Western media treats every beheading which kills ONE person as if it's the end of the world.

So fuck you, BBC. Fuck you. You pathetic goddamned hypocrite.

I think part of the thing that makes the be-headings barbaric is the fact that they're filming it and releasing the video to the victim's families and the world while the bombings and drone strikes are, at least in the U.S. kept hush-hush.

Another part of the equation that makes one method of killing "barbaric" and another "civilized" is that in the case of the beheadings there is a physical connection between the actual person doing the killing and the victim while in a drone strike, or bombing, the person is "not really doing the killing" but rather just pressing a button...button sends the signal...signal travels miles or thousands of miles...signal gets received and translated into another signal which activates mechanical levers releasing a missile...yadda yadda there's so much separation that supposedly the person pushing the button is not killing the victim but rather the missile is killing the victim.

And finally the other part that supposedly makes one more barbaric than the other is the beheading victim suffers fear and anguish beforehand, knowing for minutes, hours, days, or even months ahead what's coming to them while the bombing victim usually never sees it coming so there is less suffering involved for them.

 

[Kuala BangoDango]

Not sure where you are from but where I'm from if you start removing heads to get people to agree with you and do as you tell them. Yeah you've earned the word barbaric and uncivilized because that shit is fucked up and the majority of the planet doesn't do that.

Correct, the majority of the planet does it the civilized way of putting bullets through people's heads or blowing them to bits until they get the people to agree with them and do as they tell them.

 

[Dr. Thrax]

Leave it to the internet to create a useless, stupid, nitpicking shitstorm over something so trivial as this.
I wish I could say I was surprised.
Way to go, guys. Way to go.

 

[Riff Moonraker]

I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that they were showing a beheading... in Dr. Who???!!!!???? Yeah, sure, I realize there are deaths in Dr. Who all the time, but this seems a bit out of place for the series to me. Even IF something like that would happen in the Who-niverse, I would have imagined it would have only been implied and happen off screen, not that they would SHOW it, which is the impression this article gives.

The title Robot of Sherwood should tell you why they'd show a beheading. Beheading someone who is made to be real and then going "just kidding" it was a robot would be seen as making light of a situation that really shouldn't be. It wasn't intended to be made as commentary on reality so it's cut. Since we have two reporters beheaded, and one lady in London beheaded by a crazy man with a machete yelling something about cats it's just bad timing.

Ah, I zeroed right in on the beheading and missed the robot part. If it was a 'bot getting lopped off, thats a bit different, I suppose.

 

[Olrod]

Maybe they should cut all scenes of anyone dying, ever, then?

 

[Saltyk]

I get it, but at the same time i dont agree with it. Do they want to hold out hands thru life ? Pretty much what scotth266 said medievil setting. Its just abit "THINK OF THE CHILDREN WONT SOMONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN"

This has nothing to do with the "Think of the Children" mentality. It has everything to do with the fact that several people have been beheaded. Including two American journalists while a third British journalist has had his life threatened. Add to that the countless victims who have been beheaded and had their heads placed on pikes, some even after "converting". And plenty of other horrible tortures, such as crucifixion.

If this was some "Think of the Children" nonsense, I would agree. But it's not. It's to pay some measure of respect to those victims and avoid having Doctor Who associated with acts of barbarism and torture.

That's a nice gesture.

I can't wait to read how it's a bad thing.

*looks down* Yeah.

Anyway, it very likely will be at least a deleted scene.

But don't you understand that this is a horrible thing? The absolute worst thing that could ever happen. It's censorship!
(It actually isn't censorship, but some people don't understand what the word actually means)

 

[Flammablezeus]

Seriously? I hope they cut out any death whatsoever, because people die all the time. We wouldn't want anybody to be offended now, would we?

 

[TallanKhan]

I have conflicted feelings about this, I think this is a well meant gesture but I'm not sure it is the right decision.

While it might have been a little on the nose, I would rather have seen a solution that didn't involve censoring a creative work. Perhaps a warning about the content at the start of the episode would have been a more measured response.

Also, I think it may be the case in this instance that fear of the upset something might cause is a bigger issue that the upset itself would be. Yes the killings of the journalists were barbaric, however, there are few people who could honestly claim to have been personally effected by this beyond their immediate families (who live in the U.S. and probably wouldn't be aware of Doctor Who let alone see the episode in question). With that in mind a fantasy medieval beheading in a generally family-friendly show with -lets be honest- a less than top-tier special effects budget, is probably not going to be an overly traumatic experience for many people.

 

[f1r2a3n4k5]

Let's take a quite logical look at the decision process here.

1. Release the scene on the original airing: Worst case scenario: people get upset and complain to sponsors. The BBC is viewed as insensitive.

2. Cut the scene, release it as an extra on a boxed set: Worst case scenario: fans will have a marginally increased desire to acquire the DVDs.


...It's a pretty clear choice.

On the "censorship" "issue", is it really "censorship" if they voluntarily decided to pull the scene with little to no outside pressure? Has anyone considered, perhaps, that the writers themselves would feel better by not including such a scene at this point in time? There are current event topics writers do like to avoid, if possible.

 

[Colour Scientist]

Seriously? I hope they cut out any death whatsoever, because people die all the time. We wouldn't want anybody to be offended now, would we?

They were demonstrating a bit of sensitivity and sympathy, there's no need to get annoyed at imaginary offended people.

 

[Jamieson 90]

I'm loving the new series but I think it was a good decision to remove the be-heading anyway, and not just for news related reasons but more child friendly ones.

Spoiler

We've already seen the half face man impaled and loads of people exterminated, and those are all dark scenes for younger viewers. Even the threat of torture and the knowledge that they were harvesting human skin/organs is quite disturbing.

It's great for the show itself but if you've younger viewers who are avid fans and who want to watch it then it can be quite a difficult situation.

 

[AstaresPanda]

I get it, but at the same time i dont agree with it. Do they want to hold out hands thru life ? Pretty much what scotth266 said medievil setting. Its just abit "THINK OF THE CHILDREN WONT SOMONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN"

This has nothing to do with the "Think of the Children" mentality. It has everything to do with the fact that several people have been beheaded. Including two American journalists while a third British journalist has had his life threatened. Add to that the countless victims who have been beheaded and had their heads placed on pikes, some even after "converting". And plenty of other horrible tortures, such as crucifixion.

If this was some "Think of the Children" nonsense, I would agree. But it's not. It's to pay some measure of respect to those victims and avoid having Doctor Who associated with acts of barbarism and torture.

That's a nice gesture.

I can't wait to read how it's a bad thing.

*looks down* Yeah.

Anyway, it very likely will be at least a deleted scene.

RESPECT ?! no. not its not and if it is its a very poor show of it. But i like how its only after the lighter shade of ppl have it done to them we are suddenly giving a shit and going to this kinda effort to "respect" them. But fuck all on the beheading over YEARS even before this conflict of the browner ppl. To me its pointless pandering knee jerking think of the children.

But don't you understand that this is a horrible thing? The absolute worst thing that could ever happen. It's censorship!
(It actually isn't censorship, but some people don't understand what the word actually means)

 

[smithy_2045]

A good decision by the BBC. It's a sensitive issue right now, no need to kick those emotionally affected by these recent events and potentially imminent events while they're down. I'd be very confident in saying it'll be included on the DVD version when it's no longer a highly topical issue.