Warning: the following contains a large spoiler for this Saturday’s episode, Robot of Sherwood.

Via the Radio Times:

A beheading sequence from the climax of this Saturday’s episode of Doctor Who, Robot of Sherwood, has been edited out by the BBC as a mark of respect in the light of recent news events in Iraq and Syria.

The edit has been made to remove a decapitation in the climatic fight scene between Robin Hood and the Sheriff; something that could be deemed insensitive after two US journalists were killed by IS (Islamic State) militants in the past month.

Robot of Sherwood is written by Mark Gatiss and was filmed in February, long before the IS hit the headlines. It centres around Peter Capaldi’s twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman’s Clara meeting the flamboyant Robin Hood, played by Tom Riley.

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