The BBC has cut lines in which lovelorn women threaten to kill themselves from a new adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, because they are “untransmittable” in the 21st century.

Russell T Davies, who has made Shakespeare’s comedy into a new, 90-minute BBC One film, said that while the lovers’ laments may have been uncontroversial in the Bard’s time, they were not suitable for young audiences today.

The new version of the play, which airs on Monday at 8.30pm, features a number of changes to Shakespeare’s text, including the introduction of a lesbian kiss and the death of a major character.