A beheading scene which featured in this Saturday’s episode of Doctor Who has been edited out.

Following the beheading of two journalists by IS in recent weeks, the BBC has decided to remove the scene from the climactic battle. Robot of Sherwood,written by Mark Gatiss, was filmed in February, long before the IS hit the headlines.

A spokesman for the BBC said: “In light of recent news events, we have made an edit to episode three out of respect.”

Space in Canada, ABC in Australia and Prime in New Zealand have all confirmed that they will be broadcasting the edited version. Given the amount of coverage that the decision has garnered in the US press, it’s highly likely BBC America will follow suit.