This Saturday’s episode of Doctor Who, “The Pyramid at the End of the World,” has been tweaked in deference to the Manchester bombing on Monday. The BBC has made a small change to its dialogue, removing a few lines that discuss terrorism; the move was made as a matter of course out of respect for the victims of the tragic attack, as well as their families. The bombing, which took place at the end of an Ariana Grande concert, killed 22 — including seven children — and injured 120 more.
“Following the tragic events in Manchester, we have made a small edit to this week’s episode of Doctor Who,” a BBC spokesperson told Radio Times’s website on Thursday.
According to Radio Times, the episode “made passing references to terrorism as part of a more general discussion of threats to Earth.” Even if the reference is merely “passing,” it was still deemed too sensitive a topic by BBC, especially so soon after the attack, which has put the United Kingdom under a “critical” terror threat level.
This is not the first time in Who’s history that it has changed a bit of dialogue in order to reflect real-world events. The 2014 Doctor Who episode “Robot of Sherwood” was edited when it made too close a connection with “real-life atrocities committed by Islamic State.”
Despite the small change, Doctor Who Season 10, Episode 7, “The Pyramid at the End of the World,” will still air on BBC and BBC America this Saturday, May 27, at 9 p.m. Eastern.
